Definition of Love
by NogeiloGirl
Summary: Stephanie and Paul's wedding day is finally here, with a few surprises. Okay, maybe a lot of surprises, I can't give too much away, can I :
1. All the Love in the World

All of the people in this story are owned by Vince McMahon and the WWF, except for Melanie and Monica. Marissa is not mine, I've noticed her name in other stories, and have always assumed she is Shane's wife(in real life).   
  
If you would like to use my story, please ask me first.  
  
Please review, I love feedback! Constructive criticism is fine, but no flames please.  
  
This is the sequel to The Ride.  
  
The songs "All the Love in the World" and "Cross My Heart" are by The Corrs and Michael W. Smith, they are not mine.   
  
Definition of Love  
  
Based on the scripture 1st Corinthians chapter 13, verses 4 through 7.  
  
Chapter 1: All the Love in the World  
  
Stephanie's white gown swirled around her as she twirled in front of the mirror, "I can't believe it, it's finally here!" she said to herself in excitement.   
  
Flashback, to three months ago:  
"I'm so excited, Paul and I just got a church yesterday. Maybe it's a bit early, but we both want a church wedding, so," Stephanie trailed off, almost apologetically.   
"Steph, don't apologize, I know what it's like to want a church wedding. Better to get it early, than not at all," Melanie said, a trace of sadness in her voice.   
Stephanie was very curious about Melanie's last comment, but decided not to push it.   
Changing the subject, Stephanie asked mischievously, "So, how are things going between you and Chris?"  
"Oh no Steph, Chris and I are just friends, nothing more," Melanie said with a laugh. *I'm not yet ready to deal with any feelings I may have towards Chris, it's too soon,* she thought to herself uneasily.   
Stephanie was not going to get anywhere with this conversation, so once again she switched topics.   
"I need to talk to you guys about something important," she whispered conspiratorially.   
"Is something wrong?" Amy asked anxiously. She'd had enough of major disasters already, and she was hoping this wasn't another one.   
"I need a Maid of Honor and two bridesmaids," Stephanie replied excitedly.   
"Oh, know, not me. I'm as big as a house, I'm quite content to watch from the sidelines," Jessica said matter-of-factly.   
"You're not that big," Stephanie wheedled.   
"By the time you guys have the wedding I'll be eight months pregnant, and with twins, I don't think so," Jessica replied firmly, but a small smile played on her lips.   
"Amy, what do you think?"   
"Huh?" Amy looked up, lost in thought.   
"About being a bridesmaid?" Stephanie asked.  
"Oh, I don't know if I'm cut out for that sort of thing," Amy said doubtfully.   
"Well, if that's the case, your not cut out to be a bride either," Stephanie said pointedly. "Wait a second, your thinking about Matt aren't you?" Steph asked, genuinely curious. All eyes turned to Amy. Amy blushed profusely.   
Amy shrugged, "Maybe, but I don't think we're ready for that step yet."  
"You won't know unless you discuss it with him," Jessica pushed gently.   
"Or, you could ask him to marry you," Monica suggested slyly.   
Amy looked at Monica like she was crazy, "Definitely not, I'm not that bold," she said firmly.   
"So you'll be one of my bridesmaids?" Stephanie asked, a devilish grin on her face.   
"Yes," Amy said, a nervous smile playing on her lips. Amy's eyes sparkled, "That should get the ball rolling shouldn't it," she asked rhetorically.   
They all hopped into Chris's brand spanking new Montero.   
As Jessica got behind the wheel, she commented, "You have no idea how hard it was to convince Chris to let me drive his 'baby'. He couldn't wait any longer until the real ones were born, you know," Jessica said, rolling her eyes. "Okay Steph, where to?" Jessica asked.   
"The ultimate of wedding shops: Wedding Dresses Fit for a Princess!" Stephanie replied triumphantly.   
"That sounds about right," Monica dead panned.   
When they got to the bridal shop, Stephanie explained, "Paul doesn't want to pick out the decorations for the wedding reception or get involved in the color schemes for the wedding dresses so he left it all up to me," she said, with a squeal.   
"I don't suppose you need any help," Melanie said with a wry grin.   
"Of course I do," Stephanie said with a grin, pulling Melanie into the store.  
As soon as the girls walked into the store, Stephanie let out a gasp, as she spotted a beautiful white wedding gown adorned on a mannequin standing in a corner. She walked over to it, carefully touching the white lace and satin at the v-shaped bodice of the dress. She looked at the back of the dress, and noticed with delight that it had a small train on the floor-length gown. The neckline plunged only slightly, resting a bit above the mannequin's plastic breasts. An oval shaped hole cut into the cloth lay right below the neckline, modestly hinting at the plastic chest of the mannequin. The oval hole was adorned with pearls, while the neckline was layered in antique lace.   
"It's beautiful!" Stephanie breathed.   
"Well, try it on!" Amy urged with a smile. Stephanie grinned, found one that was her size and excitedly went into a dressing room down the hall to try it on.   
Stephanie came out of the dressing room and looked in all the mirrors behind and to the sides of her. "I love it!" she whispered to herself excitedly.   
"Do you have it on yet?" Monica asked, excitement in her voice.   
"Uh huh, what do you guys think?" Stephanie asked, grinning from ear-to-ear.   
"You look lovely," Melanie said softly.   
"Stunning dahling," Amy said, smiling.   
"It looks much better on you than the mannequin," Monica said, grinning wryly.  
"I think it fits me better, I have a bigger chest than the mannequin. I don't look so much like a bottom feeding, trashbag ho now," she said, jokingly.  
Jessica nodded, smiling, "The dress comes up on you more, so the oval hole is much more tasteful, barely revealing anything at all."  
Stephanie nodded, "Good. I've got my dress, now I need to find something for you and Monica."   
Monica's eyes widened, "You want me to be a Bridesmaid?" she asked, her mouth hanging open.   
Stephanie nodded, smiling, "I figure you've never had a chance to be involved in anything like this, getting to be all dolled up and all. I've noticed the look of awe on your face ever since you came in here." The smile fell off her face, "Um, no, that's okay, I think I'll pass," Monica said quietly, staring at her scuffed shoes. "If you'll excuse me a second." Monica dashed towards the front entrance, running a hand across her face.  
"What did I say?" Stephanie asked, looking at the others helplessly.   
"I think Monica believes you're doing this because you feel sorry for her," Melanie replied softly. Quickly, Stephanie ducked into the dressing room and took off the wedding dress.   
"Guys, I'll be back in a few minutes," Stephanie said breathlessly, as she dashed out of the dressing room area. "Hey," Steph said softly.  
"Hey," Monica replied, staring at the ground, as she swung her feet idly back and forth. "Can I sit down?" Stephanie asked.  
"Sure," Monica replied carelessly, still not bothering to look up.   
Stephanie sighed, "Look, I didn't mean it, the way it sounded." Monica finally lifted her head up, giving Stephanie an accusing look.   
"Alright, alright, I did- some, but I also like you Monica, and I want you to be a part of my wedding," Stephanie said earnestly.  
"So," Stephanie asked playfully, gently swaying from side-to-side shoving Monica in the shoulder, "how are things going between you and Erin?"  
"Well," Monica said with a smile, "lately, we've been gaining ground- as friends," Monica's smile faltered a little, "but, through all our training he's taken to calling me Nikki, and I like it," Monica said wistfully, her smile brightening. "Alright, I'm ready to go back and look for some gorgeous dresses, you know I did see these beautiful mint green gowns," Monica trailed off excitedly, as they walked back into the store.   
"And, did you know," Stephanie continued excitedly, "that 'my wedding gown' also has a matching white velvet cape and hood that comes with it?"  
"Wow! Really?" Monica giggled as the glass door closed behind them.  
  
Back to the present:  
A woman came in, wrapping her arms around Stephanie's shoulders, "Mom, I can't believe it, I'm getting married today!" Stephanie cried happily.  
"Neither can I, my baby is getting married," Linda McMahon said, giving her daughter a hug. "You look beautiful, that dress does you justice."  
"Thanks Mom. I won't wear the hood inside though, I'll save that for outside. Do you think Paul will like it?" Stephanie asked anxiously.   
"Paul will love it," Linda replied with certainty.   
"Are the girls here yet?" Stephanie asked, worry clouding her clear blue eyes.   
"They just got here a few minutes ago, and the guests are filing in."   
"Good! Make sure Dad, Shane and especially Paul, do not see me in my dress. I want it to be a surprise," Stephanie replied, her eyes shining.  
"Will do commander," Linda said staunchly, giving her daughter a mock salute, and a wink. Stephanie quickly peeked her head outside the dressing room door, and saw Amy, Monica and Marissa running down the hall towards her. They had the dresses slung over their arms, protectively encased in plastic covers.   
"Hurry, before the guys see you!" Stephanie whispered anxiously, ushering them inside.   
Meanwhile, Melanie stood in the entrance hall and greeted the guests, many of whom were wrestlers. As each guest walked by, she asked if they wouldn't mind signing the guest book. All their names began to blur together as her thoughts drifted back to two months ago.  
  
February, 2 months before:  
Melanie was in the middle of lacing up her red boots when Stephanie burst through the locker room doors towards her.   
"Hey, Mel, can I ask you a huge favor?"   
"Yeah, sure, what is it?"  
"Would you mind greeting the guests as they come in? Most weddings have greeters for the guests, don't they? Well, anyway, I was also hoping you might want to help me design/coordinate the wedding and reception. It's turning out to be a bigger job than I thought," Stephanie admitted.   
Melanie smiled, "Sure, I'd love to."   
Stephanie blinked, "Really? I know by that time you'll be six months pregnant, but I don't think you'll have to stand for very long, and it'll be inside, so it will be air conditioned"...  
"Stephanie, it's okay, I'll do it," Melanie replied softly, shaking her head.   
"You will, oh thank you!" Steph replied gratefully, giving Melanie a big hug. Melanie laughed, "You can let go now. Your cutting my air supply off." Stephanie pulled back, smiling brightly, "I owe ya one."   
"When the baby's born, then you can owe me," Melanie said with a warm smile. Just then they heard the locker room doors close.   
"Hey Chris," Steph said, turning around to face him. "Oh, I thought Mel was accompanying Jeff to the ring?" Steph looked at Chris and Melanie questioningly.   
Chris shuffled his feet, looking uncomfortable, "Well, the writers, they thought it would be cool if Melanie started accompanying me to the ring, while Nora is going to start accompanying Jeff in his singles matches.   
"Funny, the writers didn't mention it, must have been a last minute change." Stephanie shrugged, "I have to get ready for Paul's match. Good luck in your match tonight Chris."   
"Thanks Steph, see you tonight."   
"You and Paul, that should be an interesting match," Melanie commented.  
"Yea, always is, listen would you maybe like to go out later- I mean, for coffee or something?" He asked, rather nervously, Melanie noted. She laughed, then frowned at the hurt, confused look in his eyes.   
"I'm not making fun of you Chris, just the way it came out, you sounded so sweet," Melanie said sincerely.  
"I'm not good with words and when you put women and words together, forget it," he said emphatically.   
"It's not you, it's me," Melanie said softy, "I can't go out with you. I, it's too soon- let me explain." He sat down on the locker room bench, watching her carefully.  
Melanie closed her eyes, "Two and a half months ago, my husband, Greg, passed away in a freak boating incident. He was a Marine, and had been killed while on duty." She stopped, and opened her eyes, sneaking a peak at Chris. His jaw was hanging open in surprise. "I should have told you earlier, I know. I was just afraid of your reaction. I'm sorry." She hung her head in shame. She felt a gentle finger tenderly tilt her chin up to face him.   
"I'm not mad, that's a lot to tell someone. Honestly, it would have been great if you had told me sooner, but I'm glad you value me enough as your friend to tell me this at all."   
Changing the subject, Chris asked, "Did Greg know you were pregnant?"  
Chris felt bad as he watched the tears well up in her eyes, "Yes, I told him as soon as I found out and then a month later, in the blink of an eye he was gone. Since he was in the Marines, I was used to him not being home very much, but when the realization hit me that he wasn't coming back, I became very depressed. That's when I knew I needed something fresh, new, a distraction to get my mind off of Greg's death, so I came here. I already knew Jeff and Matt from high school, but I've made many more friends since then," she said smiling at Chris. "I've started a new life here, a new beginning, and I wouldn't trade what I have now for the world."  
"Melanie, when the baby is born, if you need any help, and I mean any help at all, let me know okay?" Chris told her seriously. Melanie was both touched and surprised by the earnestness in his expression. "Take all the time you need, I'll be waiting."  
Melanie blinked, her mind slowly coming back to the present. Suddenly, she felt herself being lifted off the floor. The "Big Show's" large arms wrapping around her, giving her a gentle squeeze.   
"Haven't seen your pretty face hanging around lately, where ya been Mel?"   
She blushed, "Hi Paul, well, I've been taking it easy lately." She stepped out from behind the podium. His eyes bugged out of his head, noticing her moderately round tummy.   
"Wow, you sure are coming along," Paul said in surprise.   
"Six months," she said proudly. Noticing the line that was beginning to form, Paul made a move towards the sanctuary door.   
"Well, you take it easy darlin, and I'll talk to you later."  
"You too Paul," she said with a smile. He gave her a wink and disappeared inside. Next in line were Trish and Andrew, looking extremely happy. Melanie noticed Trish was practically glowing. That's when Melanie noticed the light reflect off of the sparkling gem on Trish's finger.   
Melanie's eyes widened, "When did you guys get engaged?"   
"Last week, can you believe it?" Trish cried excitedly. Melanie shook her head and smiled. "I'm so happy for you guys, congratulations!" she said, hugging Trish warmly.   
"Oh, we're holding up the line, we'd better get moving," Trish said, but Melanie noticed she couldn't stop smiling.   
"We'll talk to you later Mel, take it easy," Andrew said with a disarming grin. Then she looked into the warm eyes of Chris Benoit.   
"Hi Melanie." His voice was casual, but Chris's eyes revealed his concern for her. Her heart pounded in her chest and all rational thought flew out of her head.   
"Hi, Chris. I've missed being with you at ringside," Melanie said softly.  
"So have I. It seems you're a very sought-after person today," he said, his eyes crinkling up at the corners as he smiled. "I'll talk to you later, take it easy okay," he warned. *How does he do that to me, I manage to feel like a young teen whenever he's around, all nervous with sweaty palms. Yet he's so sweet and down to earth, he makes me feel at ease somehow. Can I make room for someone else in my heart, Lord?*  
  
Back in the dressing room:  
"Okay, I'm dying to know, how have things progressed with Erin?" Stephanie asked. Monica stopped abruptly, leaving the zipper zipped halfway up Amy's back. A heavy silence filled the room.   
"They're not," Monica replied dully, "he found out about my past and now he want's nothing to do with me."  
"Well, that can't be true, I"...  
"It's true!" Monica responded, her voice rising, "he told me so himself."  
For once in her life, Stephanie was at a loss for words.  
"Monica, would you like me to tell them?" Amy asked softly, turning around. Monica nodded.   
"It all happened about a week ago," Amy started.  
  
Flashback to the previous week.   
Monica slowly adjusted the height and speed on the treadmill as Amy walked into the workout room.   
"Hey Monica," Amy greeted her.  
"Oh, hey Amy," Monica said, between puffs of breath. As Amy squatted down onto the knee strengthening machine, she said, "Listen, I didn't get a chance to thank you for helping solve the stalker situation with Jamie."   
"Oh, I didn't do anything," Monica replied carelessly.   
"Yes you did, you gave me more information about him, which was a big help."  
Erin was walking down the hall towards the gym, with a bouquet of flowers in his hand. *I'm gonna do it,* he thought, *I'm going to ask her out. I've spent a lot of time training with her. Nikki has a good sense of humor, and is easy to be with. I just hope she doesn't have a boyfriend, though I can't see how a girl like her cannot have one,* his thoughts trailed off nervously.   
Just then, he heard Monica's voice say, "Well, being in jail will do that to ya. I learned a lot about many of the criminals there." Erin froze in shock, *Monica, his Monica! *No, this can't be, it has to be some kind of cruel joke. I have to know,* he thought to himself resolutely. Erin stepped into the entranceway, "You were in jail?" he asked innocently. Monica turned and looked at him, fear and shock written all over her face. "It's true, isn't it?" he questioned angrily, hurt, anger and confusion registering on his face.   
"I can explain," Monica pleaded.   
Erin stood there, tapping his foot, "I'm listening," he replied harshly.   
"I was arrested for kidnapping, and I knew Amy's stalker, so I helped her catch him, sort of. All of this started a couple of months back."  
"So, what are you, some kind of escaped convict or something?" Erin asked critically. Monica didn't know what to say, she was speechless.   
"Oh, my gosh, you're an ex con. I can't believe this! You've been lying to me all along, haven't you?" he accused.   
"No, Erin, I"...   
Erin cut her off, "I don't want to hear it, I should have known better. You're too good to be true. I don't want anything to do with you- ever again!" Erin dropped the flowers onto the carpeted floor and stormed out of the room.  
"If you'd just wait a minute," tears filled her eyes, threatening to spill down her cheeks, "I'm not an ex-con anymore," Monica cried softly.   
  
Back to the present:  
"That's what happened," Amy finished softly.   
"I'm so sorry Monica," Stephanie replied sorrowfully.   
Monica shrugged, "Maybe something good will come out of the whole thing-somehow," she said non-chalantly, but the others saw the tears slowly trickle down her cheeks.   
Meanwhile:  
Paul glanced at his watch, *Man, the wedding starts in five minutes, I'm never going to make it on time!* he thought anxiously as he sat in traffic. He looked up at the sky, it was growing darker by the minute.   
Paul turned the radio up as he heard the weatherman's voice, "Severe thunderstorms, winds up to 50 miles per hour, with the possibility of hail." He turned the radio off in irritation.   
"Geeze, forget April showers, we're going to have a blasted hurricane!" Paul muttered.  
  
Back at the church:   
Stephanie pulled up her billowing skirts and made a mad dash for the sanctuary doors, and stopped just short of them, in the hallway.   
Marissa dashed towards Stephanie from the other side of the hallway and hissed, "Paul's not here yet!"  
"What! Where is he? The wedding starts in five minutes!" she exclaimed, both in worry and anger. Stephanie peeked her head around the church doors, only to see her Dad talking animatedly to the minister. She watched her Mom go over to Vince and whisper something in his ear. Vince turned to Linda, his face red with anger.  
"Uh, oh, Dad please don't blow up, not now," Stephanie muttered quietly to herself. The woman at the piano started to play the wedding march. Stephanie shook her head vehemently, "No, no, don't start playing it yet!" Stephanie looked at Marissa helplessly. "Paul, where are you?" Stephanie wondered anxiously.  
  
Back in traffic:  
"Come on Stephanie, the one time you don't have your cell phone turned on," Paul muttered, banging his hand against the steering wheel. Thirty minutes later Paul rushed into the church, only to run smack into Vince.   
"Where have you been?" he growled, his face turning red with rage, "We almost started the wedding without you."  
"I got caught in traffic. I tried reaching Stephanie on her cell phone, but I think she forgot to turn it on."  
"That's impossible, Steph never forgets to leave her cell phone on," Vince argued.  
"This time she did," Marissa replied, coming up behind them. "Now hurry up Paul, go get changed," Marissa said urgently.   
  
Ten minutes later:   
The soft strains of "Cross My Heart", started to play and taking a deep breath, Marissa slipped her arm through Shane's.   
"It's been a while since we've done this, isn't it honey," Shane said with a twinkle in his eyes. Smiling, she nodded, keeping her eyes straight ahead as they made their way down the aisle.   
Monica drew a shaky breath, nervously slipping her arm through Andrew's.   
"Easy babe," Andrew said easily. "You'll do fine," he smiled reassuringly at her.  
"Thanks, she whispered gratefully.   
Amy had butterflies in her stomach, *What will Matt think?* she wondered nervously. She looked down at her mint green, tea length gown.   
"Matt will think you look gorgeous," Benoit told her sincerely.  
Amy looked at Chris in surprise, "How did you know?"   
"It's written on all over your face," he replied gently.   
He held his arm out to her, "Time to make our grand entrance," he said, smiling. As they made their way down the aisle, Matt couldn't help but stare at Amy as she walked gracefully down the aisle. Her hair was pulled to one side, the fiery, red curls cascading almost down to her waist. *She's gorgeous, like a red haired angel,* he thought to himself, in awe of her. Amy could feel Matt's eyes on her, risking a quick glance at Matt, she smiled softly at him. She thought of the light pink bouquet of flowers in her hands, the short, puffed sleeves of her dress, and the silk scalloped neckline against her skin. *I feel so- elegant,* she thought with a smile.   
Matt leaned over towards Jeff, who was sitting next to him, "I want to marry her Jeff," he said without hesitation.   
"What?!" Jeff and Nora said simultaneously, both staring at him.   
"You heard me, I've been thinking about it for awhile. It all started after Jamie was arrested. I've just been trying to get up the nerve to ask her." Jeff watched as Matt talked, Matt hadn't taken his eyes off of Amy the whole time.   
"Three months, you've waited three months and haven't even brought up the subject?!" Jeff whispered in astonishment. Jeff just stared at Matt, open-mouthed.   
Finally, Matt tore his eyes away from Amy, "Quit staring at me like that, would you," Matt said in frustration. "Besides, it took you three months just to tell Nora you loved her," Matt shot back in a whisper.   
"Hey, that's was differ"...  
"No it wasn't," Nora said leaning across Jeff, looking at the brothers intently. "Now be quiet guys, the wedding is about to start." Matt and Jeff just frowned, but settled in their seats. The wedding march started, as Stephanie came down the aisle on her father's arm. Stephanie's smile was bright, while Vince felt the tears well up in his eyes, his little girl was getting married. At the front of the church, Paul stood stock still, taking in the vision of loveliness before him. Vince released Stephanie's arm as she went to Paul. Worriedly, Stephanie searched his face and put her hands on his forearms, "What happened, are you okay?"  
"I'm fine, I just got stuck in traffic. You look beautiful?" Paul said gazing into her face lovingly.   
"Thank you," she said, blushing profusely.   
"Ahem," the pastor cleared his throat.   
"Sorry," Stephanie and Paul apologized to the preacher and turned to face him. They repeated the pastor's words, saying their sacred vows to each other. Paul and Stephanie exchanged wedding bands.   
"In the presence of our Lord, I now pronounce you man and wife."   
Paul took her hands in his and leaned down, tenderly kissing her.   
He pulled back, touched his forehead to hers, and whispered solemnly, "I promise you all the love in the world." A split second later, screams shattered the air, as the stained glass window behind them exploded.  
  



	2. Forces of Nature

All of the people in this story are owned by Vince McMahon and the WWF, except for Melanie and Monica.   
  
Marissa is not mine, I've noticed her name in other stories, and have always assumed she is Shane's wife(in real life).   
  
If you would like to use my story, please ask me first.  
  
Please review, I love feedback! Constructive criticism is fine, but no flames please.  
  
This story is based on the scripture 1st Corinthians chapter 13, verses 4 through  
  
Chapter 2: Forces of Nature  
  
Pulling Stephanie down with him, Paul wrapped his arms around her, doing his best to shield her with his body.   
"Follow me," the Pastor hollered to them, "We have a cellar that we use for emergencies just such as this one, of course we haven't needed to use it for the past forty-five years," he said sheepishly. Paul and Stephanie just looked at each other and shrugged.  
"Lead the way," Paul said.   
"Chris!" Melanie screamed, making her way to the front of the church. She had to know if they were okay. In her mind flashed the images of glass shattering, the tree crashing through, and everybody hitting the deck.   
"Melanie, what are you doing here, you shouldn't be up here," Chris said angrily, but Melanie didn't miss the look of worry in his eyes.   
"I had to make sure you were okay," she said pleadingly. It's as if for a split second the roaring of the wind stopped, all was calm and peaceful, and it was just the two of them, all in their own little world. Unfortunately, it couldn't last, as more horrified screams plundered the air. Chris crouched closer to the floor, pulling Melanie beneath him, as the window to their left exploded. "You okay?" he whispered into her hair. She nodded, but he could feel her trembling beneath him.  
"I've got to get to Amy!" Matt said frantically.   
"Whoa, hold your horses there bro, she's okay. They're all crouched down on the floor," Jeff said calmly.   
"They won't be safe up there for long Jeff," Matt said pointedly. Jeff frowned, realizing Matt was right. Nora screamed as the window across from them burst. Quickly, Jeff enveloped Nora in his arms, covering her as best he could, in an effort to shield her body from the flying glass.   
"You guys alright?" Matt asked anxiously.   
"Yeah, we're fine, just get the girls off that platform," Jeff commanded, tightening his hold on Nora. On hands and knees, Matt made his way up to the platform.  
Monica heard a loud creaking emanate from the tree. She turned to look at it quizzically. It had crashed through the stained glass window, partially crushing the podium, which is where it rested now. The last thought on everyone's mind was the tree, until it started to roll off it's precarious position. Monica stared at it in horror. From the other side of the podium, she heard Andrew yell to her frantically, "Monica, get out of the way!" Monica couldn't move, she felt as if she were rooted to the spot. She opened her mouth to scream but nothing would come out. All of a sudden, she felt arms wrap around her waist and roughly pull her back as the tree crashed to the floor, where she had just been only a minute ago. She turned around, expecting to see Amy or Marissa's face, but was shocked to look up into Erin's.   
"You okay?" he asked worriedly.   
"Ye, yeah, I think so," she replied dazedly. "You saved my life, thank you."  
Erin shrugged, "It was no big deal, anyone could have done it."   
"Yes, but you did," Monica said matter-of-factly. Erin blushed deeply.   
"Matt!" Amy turned around, surprised to see him. She threw her arms around his neck, clinging tightly to him.   
"You okay red?" Matt asked her, as he cradled the back of her head with his hand.   
She nodded, "I'm alright."   
Matt grabbed Amy's hand, "Monica, Marissa, are you okay?" They nodded.  
"Good, let's go. There's an old cellar that the pastor found, we will be hiding out in it until this blows over," Matt told the gang. Matt released Amy's hand while he and Erin helped the other girls down the steps. Everyone stayed low as they made their way to the side exit door and out into the hallway.   
"I'll be back, I'm going to make sure Jeff's okay."  
"Matt, be careful," Amy said, gently running her hand down his cheek.  
"You know I will," he said with a grin. He watched for a second as Amy disappeared down the stone steps. With a huge sigh of relief Matt took off.   
He had just gone back through the exit door, when he saw Jeff and Nora crawling towards him. "Thank goodness you guys are okay," Matt said thankfully.   
"We're good," Jeff said, cracking a wry grin, "considering we are in yet another adventure, who needs wrestling."   
"You said it," Matt said clapping his brother on the back. Everyone was filing into line to go through the exit door. Andrew, Shane and Chris headed up the end of the line. Suddenly, the remaining windows in the main sanctuary exploded, showering glass on everyone. Chris Jericho carefully tried to shield Jessica's body, putting his arms protectively over his wife's head.   
"Honey, are you okay?" Chris asked worriedly.   
"I think my water broke."   



	3. 1 + 1 = 2, Your Welcome :-)

All of the people in this story are owned by Vince McMahon and the WWF, except for Melanie, Monica, Pastor Smith, and the young orphan, who will have a name by the next chapter :). Marissa is not mine, I've noticed her name in other stories, and have always assumed she is Shane's wife(in real life).  
  
If you would like to use my story, please ask me first.  
  
Please review, I love feedback! Constructive criticism is fine, but no flames please.  
  
This story is based on the Bible scripture: 1st Corinthians chapter 13, verses 4 through 7.  
  
Thanks for the idea/tip Scattia. :)  
  
Chapter 3: 1 + 1 = 2, Your Welcome :-)   
  
"Wh, what?" Chris asked, dumbfounded. This was not what Chris wanted or expected to hear. He looked down at her soaked dress and the drenched carpet around her.   
"Hey Chris, do we have everyone?" Chris looked up startled. "Oh, sorry man, I meant the other Chris," Matt said, making his way over to Benoit. Matt stopped dead in his tracks and turned around. Walking back to them, Matt asked, "What's all that stuff on your dress and why is the carpet all wet?"   
"My water broke," Jessica replied, looking up at Matt apologetically.   
"Wh, what, oh boy," Matt said, running a hand through his dark hair worriedly.   
"Hang tight, alright. We'll get you in the cellar as soon as we can. Jus, just don't have the baby yet," Matt pleaded, rushing back towards Chris Benoit.   
"I'll try," Jess said softly, as a contraction washed over her.   
Jeff was at the other end of the line, wanting to make sure everyone reached the cellar safely. Jeff strained his ears to hear as the wind changed from an incessant howling to a thundering roar. "Everyone, hurry it up!" he yelled, ushering the guests through the exit door. "Matt, guys, come on! I think we have a tornado brewing. Matt looked up, startled, "We have everyone, we're coming!" he hollered to Jeff.   
"You okay kid?" Andrew asked the youngster, who was huddled beside him as they moved along. The child looked at him fearfully, nodding. Andrew frowned. The roar became deafening as they reached the exit door. Jeff practically pulled them through the exit door, watching in horror as the opposite wall of the church was ripped off.   
"It's here," Jeff said quietly to himself, transfixed, as he watched the scene before him.   
"Come on Jeff," Matt said grabbing his arm, along with a handful of his sports jacket. Jeff came out of his reverie, just in time to hear Chris say, "Okay push." Jeff pulled out of Matt's grip and rushed towards Chris and Jessica, "Whoa! Wha, what are you talking about?" Jeff asked frantically. "She's not having the baby is she?"   
"No, I'm trying to get her through the hole and she's stuck darn it," Chris said in exasperation.   
"Guys, push her through the hole, then grab hold of her feet and pull. If she falls catch her."   
"Hey!" Jessica yelled indignantly.   
"Look, we don't have time for this, we have to get you through, we're sitting ducks out here."   
"Alright, sweetie," Chris said coaxingly, "suck your tummy in."  
"I can't!" she yelled. Knowing Jeff was right though, she had to do it. Jessica puffed her cheeks out and sucked her stomach in as much as she could. It was such a comical sight, the gang would have laughed if the situation wasn't so serious. It was all they could do not to smile.   
Chris sighed, blowing his blond hair out of his face, and muttered, "She's going to give me gray hair before my time." Suddenly, she popped through the hole. Surprised, Chris tipped over, almost falling in, while Paul caught Jessica, wrapping his arms around her waist.   
"Gotcha," he said reassuringly to her, while over her head, he mouthed, "Whoa, she's heavy," to Stephanie. Smiling, Stephanie winked at him. Jeff hustled everybody down the stairs. Noticing the child for the first time, he looked at the youngster quizzically, the child doing the same. *Boy, his hair is bright, it looks like a rainbow,* the child thought, staring at him wonderingly. Once the last person had pounded down the stairs, Jeff closed the steel trap door and slid the lock into place. It was a good thing Jeff did, because the door started shaking violently and a small shiver traveled down his spine as he heard the roar directly above them. He turned around to stare into the amused face of Matt Hardy.   
"What?" Jeff said non-chalantly as walked he down the stairs past Matt.   
"I'm really impressed Jeff, I've never seen you take charge like that before. You did good," Matt said, clapping him on the back.  
"Really? Thanks," Jeff said, a wide grin spreading across his face.  
"Yeah, it was a different side to see of you junior," Chris commented, grinning.  
"Thanks, I think." Jeff said, with a wry grin.  
"You did it honey, I'm so proud of you," Chris said softly to Jessica, taking her hand in his and squeezing it gently. Jeff glanced over at Jessica, who was breathing funny.   
The grin fell off of Jeff's face, "Hey, what's she doing?" Jeff asked nervously, pointing at Jessica.   
"Oh, that's just her special breathing techniques that we learned in Lamaze class.  
"Lamaze?" Matt questioned, arching an eyebrow.   
"Uh, oh," Chris said, slowly turning his head to look at Jessica, as she clamped down on his hand.   
"I thought their water had to break first though?" Paul asked, confused.  
"Already did," Jessica said bluntly, in between puffs.  
"Eww," Paul scrunched up his face, "I didn't realize your dress was wet because your water broke." Chris watched carefully as she took her next breath. He glanced down at his watch and watched as she took her next breath.   
"Her contractions are getting closer," Chris stated with a frown. "About five minutes apart. For the next ten minutes, she felt blissfully fine, but then, without warning, the pain once again washed over her in waves. Stephanie looked over at Jessica anxiously.   
"Pastor Smith, do you have any medical supplies down here?" Stephanie asked.   
"Yes, we do. We have two first aid kits, but no wash clothes or running water," he replied, as he went to get the medical kits. "Here," Erin said, fishing his handkerchief out of his pocket, "it's not soaked, but it's damp," he said, giving the handkerchief to Stephanie.  
"Thanks," she said, accepting it gratefully. Pastor Smith came back with the medical kits, handing them to her. "Is everyone okay?" Stephanie asked. Everybody nodded. Stephanie had to raise her voice a bit to be heard over the roar of the wind. "I'm going to pass around the medical kits, just in case any of you have any scrapes or cuts." On her left, Stephanie handed one medical kit to Shane, and on her right she handed the other one to Al Snow. "I'm sure you all know by now that Jessica will likely give birth to her babies here unless the storm stops before then." Almost everyone in the room stared at her with shocked expressions on their faces. "By chance, does anyone in here have a medical degree?" she asked, only half kidding. Everyone shook their heads no. "That's what I thought," Stephanie muttered. She sat down next to Paul and snuggled up to him. He wrapped his arms around her, "Not quite the reception you were hoping for," Paul said apologetically. Stephanie shook her head, "No, it's okay, I'm here with my friends and family, which is the whole idea of a reception, right? Moreover, two new lives will be started and I'm here to see it. Is that amazing or what." Her eyes shining, she turned her head up to look into Paul's face. Paul tightened his arms around her and whispered into her hair, "I'm lucky to have you, you know that?"  
"I know," she said softly, snuggling deeper into his chest.   
  
Three hours later:  
Michael Cole passed the first-aid kit to Nora, who was sitting Indian-style, next to him. "Thanks," she said softly.   
"Your welcome," he said, with a smile.  
"Um, Paul, would you mind scooting your feet in a little bit?" Nora asked him sweetly.   
"Sure thing, Nora," Paul (Big Show) said with a smile.   
"Thanks," she said. Nora took a quick glance around the long, rectangular room, wall-to-wall wrestlers. *Wow! I'm amazed we were all able to fit in here!* she thought, scarcely able to believe it all. She unfurled her legs and hissed as a stinging pain shot through her lower left leg. Slowly, she pulled her skirt back to reveal a nasty, bloody gash. Sighing, she opened up the first aid kit and took out two cotton balls, two Band-Aids and a small bottle of hydrogen peroxide. Two larger hands closed over hers. Jeff took the medical supplies from her.   
"Here, let me take a look at it," he said easily, swinging her legs up in his lap.   
"It's not that bad, really," Nora protested.   
"A-ha, sure it isn't," Jeff said giving her a sideways look. Nora was a bit surprised as she watched him dab at her cut, he was so gentle. She could feel Paul's eyes across from her, watching them with interest. She hoped she wasn't blushing. Jeff hit a particularly sensitive spot on her cut though, and she flinched, wincing. Quickly,   
Jeff lifted his head up and looked at her, concern in his beautiful, green eyes. "Sorry," he said quickly. "There, your all set." Jeff practically pushed her legs off his lap, Nora noticed with annoyance. She leaned in to talk to him, but stopped suddenly, when a wail split the air.   
From across the room, Jessica yelled, "They're coming!"  
"Wh, what, I don't know how to deliver a baby!" Chris fretted. Stephanie looked up from gently wiping Jessica's forehead with the damp handkerchief.   
"Shoot, I should have thought of this before," Steph muttered to herself.   
"Paul, could you get me my velvet cape?"   
Paul, looked at her, eyes wide in surprise, "Are you sure you want to?"...  
"Yes, I'm sure," Stephanie said firmly. *Jessica needs something more comfortable to lie down on, other than the cold, hard concrete floor,* Stephanie thought to herself. For the past hour Jessica had kept her knees bent, legs up, in the birthing position. Chris positioned himself in front of her, in an attempt to give her some privacy. The wrestlers and family were polite enough to turn away so as to give Jess some privacy also. Chris and Matt helped lift Jessica up just enough, so Stephanie could slide the cape under her. Chris looked at Stephanie in awe, he couldn't believe she'd just done that.   
"Wow! Thanks Stephanie, I owe you one"...  
Stephanie waved it off, "No, don't worry about it," she said firmly. Stephanie felt a little sad, knowing that most likely it would be ruined, but at the same time she felt good about what she was doing. Her heart knew it was the right thing to do. Jessica closed her eyes and gripped Chris's hand tightly as another contraction came.   
Matt was timing the contractions now, he glanced at his watch, "That one was only one minute apart from the last one," Matt said worriedly.   
"They are coming faster and harder now, the babies should be popping out like cantaloupes any time now," Chris commented calmly.   
Matt stared at him, "How can you be so calm about this?"   
Chris shrugged, "I don't know, normally, don't kids just pop out when they want to?" he questioned.  
"Well, they'd better pop out soon, your kids are heavy, they feel like watermelons," Jessica said through gritted teeth.   
"No, no, you can't push yet, I'm not ready," Chris said frantically.   
"Tough luck, don't tell me not to push, I'm ready darn it," Jessica said fiercely, letting out a puff of breath, flipping up her blond bangs.   
*Whoa!* Chris backed off, and positioned himself in front of Jessica, ready to catch a baby.   
Amy grabbed Matt's hand and squeezed it. "I want to have our children born in the hospital," Amy said staring at the scene unfolding before her.   
Matt's eyes widened in shock, "Wh, what?" he asked her in disbelief.   
"Hey, I see a head, what do I do?" Chris asked frantically. Within minutes a baby's cry filled the air. "I have to clean the baby off, it's all red and cheesy looking."   
"Here, I have something," behind Matt, the small child spoke up for the first time. She untied an apron-like piece off the front of her dress. "This might help," she said hopefully, looking up into Chris's eyes with her big blue ones.   
"Thank you sweetie," Chris said gratefully, his heart going out to this young child, who didn't even know them. He took the apron and started cleaning the baby off. Jessica let out an ear-piercing scream as the second baby's head appeared.   
"Hey, I can't grab this baby, I don't have enough arms!" Chris yelled. Nervously, Matt spoke up, "I'll get this one." Matt swallowed hard. "It's a girl Chris!" Matt crowed triumphantly. They switched babies, Matt giving the little girl to Chris, while he took the other one. Gently, Chris cleaned up his little girl.   
"What do we have?" Jessica asked tiredly.   
"Two beautiful little children, a boy and a girl," Chris whispered into her ear. "You did excellent sweetie," Chris said lovingly.   
Jeff came running over to them. "Listen, do you guys here it?" Everyone was quiet for a moment. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Then they heard it, a persistent scraping of furniture across the floor above them. Jeff quickly rushed over to the trap door, unlocking it. A guy in orange and white clothing opened the trap door and yelled down into it, "Anyone down here?"   
"Yes!" everyone down in the cellar yelled.   
"Whoa!" the paramedic backed up a step, not prepared for the noise assaulting his ears. "Is everyone okay?"   
"Yes, but we have one woman down here who just gave birth," Jeff said from below.   
"Okay, we'll get her out first." Not even a minute later, two paramedics brought down a thin wooden stretcher and eased Jessica onto it. As soon as the paramedics helped the last guest out of the cellar, they put Jessica and Chris into the ambulance and whisked them off to the nearest hospital. Everyone stared at the ruins in shock. The actual sanctuary part of the church was gone, completely obliterated.   
Pastor Smith sighed, "It will take a while to rebuild."   
"Not as long as you think," Stephanie said with a grin.   



	4. Lenae

All of the people in this story are owned by Vince McMahon and the WWF, except for Melanie, Monica, Pastor Smith, and the young orphan, Sam, Danielle, and Ms. Moreland. Marissa is not mine, I've noticed her name in other stories, and have found out from a friend that she is indeed Shane's wife(in real life).  
  
Thanks for the info Scattia. :)  
  
Robin Hood: Men in Tights is obviously not mine, but I forget which movie company owns it.   
  
If you would like to use my story, please ask me first.  
  
Please review, I love feedback! Constructive criticism is fine, but no flames please.  
  
This story is based on the Bible scripture: 1st Corinthians chapter 13, verses 4 through 7  
  
Chapter 4: Lenae  
  
Trish bent down next to the young girl, "What's your name sweetie?"  
"Lenae."   
"Well, which guests here are your parents?" Andrew asked, scanning the crowd.   
"None," Lenae said quietly.   
"What did you say? I didn't hear you." Andrew had to shrink himself even more, straining to hear what the little girl said.   
"None," she repeated, a little more loudly.   
"How did you get here? Did your parents drop you off?" Trish asked curiously.   
"I sneaked in, to escape the social worker." Trish and Andrew looked at one another in concern. Lenae's eyes darted back and forth nervously between Trish and Andrew. A wild look in her in deep, blue eyes, Lenae bolted.  
"Oh, no you don't," Andrew said. In two steps, his 6 ft. 4 frame caught up with her. Taking her arm firmly, his face hard, he said, "Come on, let's go."  
  
Meanwhile:  
Jessica slowly opened her eyes. *I feel so exhausted,* she thought wearily.   
"How are you feeling?" Chris asked anxiously as he walked into the room, holding a styrofoam cup of coffee. He sat down in the chair next to Jessica's bed, and took her hand in his.   
"Tired, and why am I so sore down below?" Jessica questioned. Chris looked at her sheepishly, "Well, you required some stitches. Even though the babies were born three weeks early, they are quite heavy for being premature. The boy is eight pounds, three ounces, while the girl is an even eight pounds."  
"What?!" she asked, her eyes wide. "No wonder it felt like I was carrying watermelons," Jessica replied, slightly surprised.  
"When can we see them, are they okay?" Jessica asked frantically.   
"They are fine sweetie," Chris said, trying to get her to relax. The nurse is cleaning them up. Doctor Hartnett was here just a little while ago, he had to cut the umbilical cords- while you slept through it all," he added, smiling. "Hmm, I bet, the nurse is giving them a better clean up job than I did," Chris said ruefully. Thoughtfully, he pulled the red and yellow stained apron out of his pocket.   
A quiet knock sounded in the open doorway, "May we come in?" Trish asked politely, a smile on her face.   
"Sure," Chris beamed. He was surprised to see the young girl walking between Trish and Andrew. "What's your name honey?" Chris asked, smiling.   
"Lenae," she said quietly. She lifted her eyes to look into his clear blue ones, then quickly stared back down at the floor.   
"Thank you Lenae," Jessica said softly, smiling brightly at the young girl.   
Beaming, Linae's head shot up, "Your welcome." Both Trish and Andrew exchanged smiles. It was the first time they had seen her smile since they met her.   
"I uh, I don't know if this can be cleaned," Chris said sheepishly, handing the apron back to Lenae.   
"You can't give that back to her!" Jessica scolded, snatching it out of his hands.  
"Actually," Trish said quietly, "I'll take it and see if I can clean it."  
All eyes turned towards her, "What?! Surprised I can clean? I am domesticated- some," Trish finished quietly.   
"Thank you," Lenae said gratefully. She didn't have many pretty clothes as it was, and she really couldn't afford to lose more. Just then, the nurse came into the room carrying two tiny bundles of joy, each wearing their own soft, knit pink and blue caps.   
"I think we'd better go," Andrew said softly, ushering Trish and Lenae out of the room. "We'll talk to you guys later," Andrew said. Chris nodded absent-mindedly as he took his baby girl in his arms.   
"She's so beautiful," Chris said softly as he looked down into his daughter's wide blue eyes. "Hey, she's staring up at me!" he exclaimed in amazement, looking up at Jessica.   
"See, she knows you already," Jessica said with a soft smile. He looked at his sleeping son, in Jess's arms. Chris wondered what color of eyes their baby boy had, but both babies had a small dose of light blond hair covering their heads.   
"We do need to decide on names for them honey," Jessica reminded him gently.   
Looking down at their little girl he said, "Marion, Marion Elizabeth." His voice was soft, but Jessica could hear the certainty in his voice. Jessica nodded slowly, thinking back to their discussion of countless baby names.   
She smiled, "I like it, it's pretty. I've been thinking of the name David Gabriel, for our little boy. What do you think?" she asked, looking down at their son proudly.   
"I think it's a nice name, strong yet unique. I think of Gabriel, the Archangel," Chris answered.  
"So did I, that's partially why I picked it," Jessica said, smiling mischievously.  
Just then Dr. Hartnett came in with two forms, "I'll need you to fill these out. Did you decide on names for the twins yet?" he asked. They shook their heads yes. "Good, I brought these in just in time then," he said with a smile as he handed them the forms.   
As Chris signed on the dotted line, he whispered, "Welcome to our world, Marion and David."  
  
On the road again,  
Andrew drove on in silence.   
"Your taking me back to the orphanage aren't you?" both fear and a challenge creeping into her voice.  
"Yes," Andrew replied evenly, not pulling any punches.  
"No, no you can't take me back, I don't want to go!" Lenae almost wailed.   
Andrew looked sharply at her through the rearview mirror.  
Straight forward, Andrew asked, "Why don't you want to go back?"   
"I, I just don't, the people there are mean."   
Trish turned around in the front seat to look at Lenae, "Perhaps you just need to get to know the children better," Trish offered.   
Lenae shook her head vehemently, "No, it's not the kids," she said quietly, but firmly. Now in unfamiliar territory, Andrew pulled off onto the shoulder of the road, while Trish scoured the map, looking for the correct way to reach the orphanage.   
"Got it," Trish said, folding up the map. After about thirty minutes of driving, they came upon a rather imposing building. They drove up the long, winding drive and through the wrought iron gate, only to stop in front of an enormous, three-story, red brick building. Lenae cringed inwardly as a tall, skinny woman with mousy brown hair came running towards them. Andrew regarded the woman skeptically as he got out of the car, opening first Trish's, then Lenae's door. Reluctantly, Lenae got out of the car. Almost instantly, the thin woman wrapped her arms around the little girl.   
"Where have you been, I've been so worried about you," the woman gushed. Andrew crossed his arms over his chest. He wasn't exactly an honor student when it came to kids, but he didn't like this strange woman in front of him, there was something fishy, fake about her.   
"Hi, I'm Ms. Moreland," she said, extending a hand to Andrew, "thank you for finding her, I'll be forever grateful."   
"No problem," he said non-chalantly. Cutting to the chase, he asked, "She's allowed to have visitors right?"   
A bit taken aback by the directness of his question, she stammered, "Why, uh, yes."   
"Good, we'll see you tomorrow okay?" he said winking at Lenae as they got into the car.   
As Andrew drove away, Trish looked at him in surprise, "You like her don't you?"   
"Yes," Andrew said, not daring to take his eyes off the road. *I can't believe this. Children and I don't mix, we're like oil and water. Yet, here I am, letting this kid get under my skin- and heart,* he thought.   
As soon as Andrew's car disappeared down the drive, Ms. Moreland grabbed Lenae's arm painfully, "What did you think you were doing, running away like that? Did you want to get me in trouble?"  
"Yes," Lenae spat out. Ms. Moreland slapped Lenae hard across the face. "We'll see how you like spending the night in your room with no dinner," the middle-aged woman said cruelly, dragging Lenae through the front door.   
  
The next morning:  
The McMahon family saw Stephanie and Paul off as they boarded the gigantic cruise ship for a two week cruise to Greece. Marissa and Shane secretly looked at each other and smiled. Their announcement could wait a little longer.   
Andrew groaned as his alarm clock started beeping and with each passing second it got louder.   
"Alright, alright," Andrew said, slamming his hand down on top of it. "I'm up. There, happy!" he fumed. Staring at his alarm clock, he ran a hand through his mussed hair. Just then a knock sounded at the door. Andrew grabbed his robe off the bedroom door, tying it around his waist.   
*I can't let Trish see me in my boxers, not until we're married anyway,* he thought with a grin. He recalledt a funny line from, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, 'No ding ding without the wedding ring.' He chuckled at the thought. "Your early," he said as he opened the door. Looking at her smiling face Andrew commented, "I didn't know that you were a morning person."  
"Normally, I'm not, but look, I got her apron clean," Trish said, holding it up excitedly.   
Andrew smiled, "Good, I'm glad, why do I get the feeling she doesn't have many nice clothes," he said dryly.   
As Trish waited for him to get dressed, she sat down on Andrew's plush sofa and let her thoughts drift. *I would love to patch up her cute, Raggedy Ann type dress for her. I hope Mom won't mind showing me how,* Trish thought hopefully.  
Andrew broke into her thoughts, "You ready hon?" She nodded. When they reached the orphanage, Trish went inside to speak to Ms. Moreland, the matron, while Andrew strolled over to the playground and absent- mindedly watched the children at play. His eyes narrowed and instantly he became alert as his gaze went to one young girl, Lenae. He noticed the purplish, yellow bruise on her jaw and the black and blue bruise on her arm. *She didn't have those yesterday,* he thought angrily.   
Trish jogged over to him, "Hey, what are you doing?" Trish asked, gently brushing back a strand of blond hair out of his eyes.   
"Look, over there," he said. Following his finger, she spotted Lenae.   
"Hey, I thought Lenae was busy, that's what Ms. Moreland told me," Trish said angrily.   
"Ms. Moreland is a liar," Andrew said fiercely, his gaze turning to rest on Trish, "and we're going to find out why."   
Lenae froze in fear as she caught sight of two people watching her in the shadows. When she caught site of a tall guy with blond hair, she ran towards the couple.   
"You came to see me!" Lenae said happily.   
"Of course we did honey, you didn't think we would leave without saying goodbye did you?" Trish asked with a smile.   
"Goodbye? Your leaving m.. I mean your leaving?" Lenae asked, masking the pain inside her.   
"Yes, we have to, Andrew and I have another wrestling show to do in West Virginia. Here, Trish said, handing the apron to her through the fence hole, I cleaned it for you."  
"Thank you," Lenae said shyly.   
For the first time Andrew spoke up, "Does Ms. Moreland treat you well here?" His voice was casual, but his gaze was piercing.   
Lenae was silent for a moment, "Uh, yes," she said hesitantly. Andrew frowned, it was almost like a dead give-away. Andrew knew that they wouldn't be able to get much out of Lenae, she was well, afraid.   
"Tell you what, how about we give you a call when we are in West Virginia, and get you a souvenir for you while we are there," Andrew grinned mischievously.   
"Oh wow, would you really?" A puzzled look came over her face, "What exactly is a souvenir?"   
"It's like a gift," Trish explained.   
"Really, oh wow!" Lenae grinned from ear-to-ear.   
"Be good, and be safe," Andrew said casually, yet Lenae could still see the intensity in his blue eyes.   
"Okay," she said slowly. She really would try to be good, so she wouldn't hurt so much.   
Andrew dropped Trish off at her apartment, and told her, "I'll pick you up tomorrow morning for the flight to West Virginia."  
"Okay, see you then."   
"And now for some unfinished business," he said to himself as he headed towards Raleigh. He drove into Raleigh, North Carolina just as dusk settled upon the city. Pulling into the parking lot of a two story, slightly run down brick building, he grabbed the phone book lying on the back seat. He checked to make sure he had the right address. Taking a deep breath, he shut off his car and walked across the parking lot to the front entrance. He walked up the rickety, wooden staircase. His boots pounded on the hardwood floors as he walked down the hall. Andrew smiled faintly as he saw: Private Investigator: Samuel Harris, etched in the glass. *This is like straight out of an old Humphrey Bogart movie,* he thought as he opened the door.   
An attractive dark-haired secretary greeted him, gracefully moved out from behind her desk and said, "Follow me, Sam's expecting you." He tried not to stare at her long legs clad in fishnet stockings. He shook his head and forced himself to stare straight ahead.   
"You're an engaged man, it is not a hot idea for you to be checking out other women," he told himself sternly. As he entered Sam's office, Andrew could just picture himself in black and white. Sam sat behind a polished, though slightly worn, cherry wood desk. Behind it sat a man wearing a dark brown shirt with matching brown slacks and for contrast, he wore a beige tie. Next to his desk stood a coat rack with a beige trench coat and matching hat hanging on it.   
"Thanks Danielle," Sam said, smiling warmly at her.   
"Your welcome," she said. Not bothering to hide his curiosity, Andrew watched the two of them with interest. Even though her tone was casual, Andrew could see a slight blush creep up her face. *Certainly, this guy wasn't oblivious to that!* he thought.   
"Excuse me," Andrew interjected politely.   
"Oh, a hem, excuse me," the detective said, turning a slight shade of red himself. "I'm sorry about that, Mister, Mister"...  
"Martin, Andrew Martin."  
"Nice to meet you Mr. Martin, now what can I do for you?" the detective asked, covering his embarrassment with an easy smile. Sam leaned back in his chair linking his hands behind his head.   
"Well," Andrew said, and proceeded to tell him everything that had happened since they met Lenae.   
"Do you know the girl's last name?" Sam asked. His interest piqued, he leaned forward in his chair.   
Andrew shook his head, "No."   
Sam frowned, "It definitely sounds like an abuse case, and she may not be the only one," he said.   
"I know, the thought has crossed my mind too. I've been wondering if she isn't the only one being abused at that orphanage," Andrew said, a scowl on his face.   
"Okay, I'll see what I can do. Feel free to call me anytime to check up on the case." Sam handed him a business card. "My work and home phone number are on here. At the latest, I'll call you by the end of the week. I'll do my best to get to the bottom of this," Sam said determinedly. He rose up out of his chair to shake Andrew's hand. Andrew gave him the number of the hotel in West Virginia where he could be reached.   
"Thank you," Andrew said gratefully.   
"Don't thank me yet," the detective said with a wry smile. The detective frowned as he watched Andrew leave. *There's far more to this case than meets the eye,* Sam thought with conviction.   
Everyone was excited to be boarding the United Airlines, 747 jet bound for West Virginia. For the Hardys, it wasn't too far from home, besides they loved much of the east coast anyway. While others thought the West Virginia scenery was absolutely breathtaking.   
As they took their seats, the first thing Trish asked Andrew was how things went at the meeting yesterday.   
"How did everything go, what did the detective say?"  
"He's taken the case, and he feels strongly that it is an abuse situation," Andrew said grimly. "I gave him the hotel number in West Virginia and he said he will keep us up-to-date if anything comes up."   
"Good, I'm glad he's decided to take the case. I feel soo bad for little Lenae. I'm worried about her, Andrew. What if something else happens to her while we're gone?"   
"I hope not Trish, I most certainly hope not." He put his arm around her shoulders, holding her close. Absent-mindedly, he looked over at Jeff and Nora, sitting across the aisle from them.   
Once Nora and Jeff got settled in their seats, Nora asked, "What happened yesterday? Why did you give me the brush off?"   
Jeff shrugged, "It was nothing," but Nora noticed he wouldn't meet her eyes.   
"That's not true, you've never been like that with me before. Did I say or do something wrong?" she questioned.   
Jeff sighed, noting the concern on her face, "No, it could never be you sweetie. It's me," he said softly.  
"Why? What do you mean?" Nora asked. Tenderly, she cupped his face in her hands, forcing him to meet her eyes.   
"I hurt you more when I started cleaning your cut, and it brought everything back: your nose, the blood everywhere, and I did it to you," he finished softly. "I just couldn't continue, so I gave you the cold shoulder instead."   
Her hands pressed lightly against his cheeks, Nora looked him straight in the eyes and said, "You listen to me Jeffrey Nero Hardy, I never blamed you for that accident, and that's all it ever was, just an accident. You need to see it the same way and stop punishing yourself for something that was out of your control. I wasn't seriously hurt and I've long since healed up. I'm grateful for that. I don't love you any less for what happened, if anything I love you more for it. Shoot, you broke Matt's nose and he doesn't hold it against you, so why should you hold this incident against yourself?" she demanded.   
Gently running his thumb down her cheekbone, Jeff replied, "You're right, as usual," he said with a small smile.   
Al Snow leaned forward, "You do realize you sound like an old married couple, don't you?" he chided, a small grin on his face.   
"Oh, well, we should make it official then," Jeff said with an easy smile.   
Al pulled back, a shocked look on his face, "Jeff, I didn't mean"... he trailed off.   
Before Nora could react, Jeff took her hand in his, "Nora, would you marry me?"  
  
In memory of Lenae.  
She was bright, vivacious, and wasn't afraid  
to stand up for what she believed in.  
1980-1994  



	5. Is That Your Final Answer?

Disclaimer: All of the people in this story are owned by Vince McMahon and the WWF, except for Melanie, Monica, Pastor Smith, Lenae, Sam, Danielle, and Ms. Moreland. Marissa is not mine, I've noticed her name in other stories, and have found out from a friend that she is indeed Shane's wife(in real life).  
  
If you would like to use my story, please ask me first.  
  
Please review, I love feedback! Constructive criticism is fine, but no flames please.  
  
This story is based on the Bible scripture: 1st Corinthians chapter 13, verses 4 through 7  
  
  
Chapter 5: Is That Your Final Answer?  
  
Nora looked at him, her mouth gaping open, "Are you serious?" she asked.   
"Well, uh, yeah," Jeff replied with a slight frown.   
She shook her head, "No, I don't think you are," she said fighting back tears. Nora murmured, "Excuse me," and fairly flew towards the rest rooms at the back of the plane. Jeff frowned. Angrily, he jumped up out of his seat. *What's the big idea, calling me a liar. Besides, what right does she have to tell me how I feel? I mean, she can't see inside my head,* he thought indignantly as he made his way to the back of the plane. He knocked softly on the bathroom door.   
"Nora, come on out, I need to talk to you," he whispered.   
"No, go away!" Several people turned around and stared at him, like he had committed bloody murder or something.   
"Nora come on, people are staring at me," he hissed. *I don't care if they do stare at you,* Nora thought spitefully as she unlocked the bathroom door. Her fist shot out and Jeff flinched, expecting the impact any second, but none came. Instead, Nora grabbed him by the collar of his sweatshirt, practically yanking him through the doorway. Nora crossed her arms over her chest, "Okay, talk." He opened his mouth to speak, but Nora interrupted him. "You only asked me to marry you as an answer to Al's comment, a challenge, almost like a joke," Nora accused, a fresh bout of tears streaming down her cheeks. Jeff was going to apologize and explain, but now Jeff was angry.   
"Darn it Nora, what right do you have to tell me how I feel, or for that matter what I'm thinking?!" he accused. "Okay then," Jeff said, a smile playing on his lips, "if I would have been serious, would you have said yes?"   
Her heart aching, Nora replied softly, "Yes."  
"That's what I was hoping your answer would be. If I had more room, I would kneel, but since these bathrooms are so tiny," he explained as he took her delicate hands in his.   
"Wh, what are you doing?" Nora asked, uncertainty and confusion in her eyes.   
"Nora, again I'm asking you, really and truly, would you make me the happiest man alive and marry me?" Jeff searched her face seriously, looking imploringly into her eyes.   
"More than anything!" Nora answered breathlessly, wrapping her arms around his neck. She pulled back a bit and peppered his face with kisses.   
"Nora, honey, I've been thinking about marriage and us for quite a while now, and our talk earlier on the plane, cinched it," Jeff whispered into her hair, wrapping his arms around her waist. Suddenly, someone banged on the door, and yelled, "Hurry up in there, some of us have to use the restroom!" Embarrassed, Jeff and Nora pulled away from each other. Jeff opened the door first in case the guy turned out to be an irate moron.   
The guy stepped back as he watched Jeff then Nora come out. He shook his head and muttered, "Kids these days." As Jeff and Nora came down the aisle, Al looked over at them curiously. *Good, they look happy and they're smiling at each other. Whew, I was afraid I wrecked their relationship or something,* he thought, relieved.   
Chris Benoit glanced down at Melanie, nestled against him, asleep. He wondered if perhaps she wanted to pursue a relationship with him. After what happened Sunday, she seemed different somehow, but he couldn't put his finger on it, and she hadn't said anything. *Oh, well,* he thought, *no matter what happens I'll always be grateful for her friendship.* He was determined to be content with what he had, but he couldn't help but feel sad just the same. Chris stole a quick glance over at Matt and Amy, he knew Matt had been wanting to talk to Amy also, ever since her comment yesterday.   
Matt looked down at Amy sleeping peacefully against his shoulder. He sighed, he didn't have the heart to wake her up. *I guess our talk we'll have to wait,* Matt thought resignedly.   
  
Later that night:  
Chris, Melanie, Andrew, Trish, Matt, Amy, Jeff, Nora, Steve, Debra, Shane, Marissa, Al, Moncia and Erin sat in the plush, vinyl seats talking about everything from their childhood memories to their recent wrestling matches.   
Al looked at his watch, "Well, we have an early start tomorrow, so I'm headed off to bed. I'll see you guys tomorrow morning," he said grinning cheekily.   
"He's such a morning person," Amy said with a groan, "I don't know how he does it."   
"It's because he gets a decent amount of sleep," Steve said as he stood up, "which Debra and I aren't going to get if we don't high tail it out of here. Goodnight y'all, see ya in the morning."   
Amy looked at her watch, twelve midnight. "Oh my gosh, I didn't realize it was so late!" she exclaimed. "I have to get some sleep. Goodnight guys, goodnight Matt," she said, reserving a smile for him. Matt stood up quickly, as did the others. It was time they all turned in.   
"I'll walk you over," Matt offered.   
Amy linked her fingers through his, "Thanks." They walked out of the coffeehouse, which was on the hotel property. A soft breeze was blowing. Amy lifted her head and breathed the scent of wildflowers in. "It's so relaxing here, I wish everyday was like this."   
"Amy, did you mean what you said yesterday, about having our children born in a hospital?" Matt asked quietly. Amy tensed up instantly, her heart pounding in her chest.   
"You mean as far as having my children born in a hospital, well yeah," she said casually.   
"That's not what I'm asking, you know what I mean Amy," Matt said softly.   
"Yes, maybe someday," Amy said slowly. "I picture you in my future Matt, but I'm not sure about marriage, yet," she paused.   
"Oh," he said quietly, trying desperately to hide his hurt and disappointment. *Oh great, she doesn't want to marry me!* he thought dismally. She glanced over at him as the smile fell off his face. The thought occurred to Amy, that perhaps he wanted to marry her *Oh no!* she thought frantically,   
"Have you thought about marriage yet?" she asked non- chalantly.   
"I'm not really worrying about it right now," Matt said casually, with a shrug of his shoulders. "Oh," she said lightly, doing her best to hide the surprise in her voice. Her heart felt heavy, *Okay so what's up with this? I'm not ready for marriage yet, but at the same time I'm hurt and disappointed that it hasn't even crossed his mind. I feel so unimportant though now, like I don't matter enough for him to propose to me.* Having no answer to her many thoughts, Amy let out a sigh of frustration. Tiredly, she closed her eyes for a second.   
"You okay?" Matt asked in concern, glancing over at her sharply.   
"I'm just tired that's all," she mumbled. Truthfully, she hadn't been feeling good all day, her head and feet felt like lead and she felt like she spent half the day sleeping. The last few minutes of conversation just added more tension to her already taut nerves. *Darn it, I shouldn't have even asked him about marriage, sometimes it's just better to let sleeping dogs lie,* Amy mentally chided herself. She stumbled against Matt.   
"You sure your okay?" Matt asked again, putting an arm around her shoulders. She nodded yes, but he brought his hand around and rested it against her forehead.   
"Your burning up!" he exclaimed.   
"Oh, I just thought it was the weather," she said laughing shrilly. Hearing Amy's laugh, the others stopped talking and looked at Amy. Matt shook his head, "Come on," he said roughly. Sweeping her feet right out from under her, he picked her up. "Your delirious. I should have noticed you were sick earlier," Matt admonished himself. Matt felt her cool arms weakly drape around his neck.   
He heard her mumble into his chest, "Not that I don't want to marry you, just afraid of marrying you."   
"Oh, that makes me feel a whole lot better," he joked, as he hoisted her up higher in his arms.   
Jeff and the others jogged over to him, "What's wrong? What happened to Amy?"   
Matt frowned, "I'm not really sure, but I'm guessing it's a cold or the flu, something like that."   
"We'll go get a doctor," Monica and Erin volunteered.   
"Thanks," Matt said, as Monica and Erin jogged across the parking lot to the hotel.   
  
Hours later:  
Amy sat up in bed, drenched in sweat. She felt firm hands holding her shoulders.  
"Whoa, whoa, where do you think your going?" Matt chided her gently.   
"To the bathroom, I gotta hurl!" she said weakly. Instantly, she felt Matt's hands release her shoulders. She staggered to the bathroom, not even having the strength to shut the door. Matt grimaced as he heard her throwing up. *Okay, that was a good reason to let her up,* Matt thought. After a few minutes, silence. Concerned, Matt tiptoed into the bathroom. Breathing heavily, Amy rested her head on the toilet, her long hair hanging over the porcelain sides.   
"Here," Matt said gently, pulling her hair back from her face, "maybe this will help."  
"You shouldn't have to see me like this," Amy rasped, her voice hoarse.   
"Why not? Everyone gets sick," Matt said easily.   
"Because, this is only supposed to happen to married couples," Amy said indignantly. Matt laughed. Without warning, she started heaving into the toilet again. Soberly, he pulled her hair back. A few minutes later, Matt helped her back into bed, tucking the covers around her.   
"Get some sleep Amy, I'll be right here."   
"Okay," she said, a smile curving her lips.   
He thought back to her statement about marriage, when she was half out of it. *So, she's afraid of marriage huh. That's okay, I don't mind the wait,* he thought to himself with a smile.   
The next morning Amy woke up, only to find Matt not there. *Where is he?* she thought frantically, *he promised me he'd be here.* Suddenly, a soft knock sounded at the door.   
"Matt?" Amy called hopefully.   
"Nope, it is I, Nora. Is it okay if I come in?"  
"Um sure," Amy said, smoothing the covers out around her.   
"How are you feeling?" Nora asked sympathetically.   
"Other than a hard core case of the flu, pretty good," Amy said with a weak smile.   
"So, have you seen Matt?" Amy asked non-chalantly.   
Nora shook her head, "No, why is something wrong?" Nora asked inquisitively.   
Amy sighed, "Matt and I were talking last night and he asked me about marriage. I think he wants to marry me, even though he denies it."  
"What was your response?" Nora asked.  
"Well, I told him I wasn't ready yet. At first he acted all excited about the prospect of us getting married, until I told him I wasn't ready. Then, when I asked him about marriage, Matt told me he hadn't really thought about it. I think I hurt his feelings Nora, but I hadn't meant to. Now, not only do I feel lousy about hurting him, it bothers me that perhaps he hasn't even thought about us getting married," Amy said in frustration.  
"It sounds like your more afraid of marriage in general, than marriage to Matt," Nora gently tried to point out. Amy stared at her as if she had been hit over the head with a chair.   
Amy smiled sheepishly, "I do think that sometime in the middle of my delirium last night, I told Matt it wasn't so much that I didn't want to marry him, that I was just afraid to marry him," Amy admitted.   
Nora giggled, "Oh, I'm sure he must have loved that. Listen, if Matt really loves you, he'll wait for you. You know that right?"  
Amy played with the comforter spread over her lap, "Yeah, I guess so. But, what if I never want to get married?" Amy asked fearfully.   
"Hon, you're over thinking this okay, you and Matt just have to take things one step at a time. Just be open on the subject, as he should be with you."  
Amy nodded thoughtfully, "Your right."  
Just then the door opened and Matt walked in. Amy looked up in surprise at the tray of food he held in his hands.   
"Feel better soon Amy," Nora said affectionately as she closed the door behind her.   
"How do you feel?" Matt asked as he sat down in the chair beside her bed.   
"A little shaky, but okay."   
"Do you feel up to a little food?" Matt asked as he placed the tray, laden with toast and hot tea, over her lap.   
"A little. Thanks for staying," Amy said with a small smile.   
"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Matt said, smiling back.   
  
Meanwhile, in the gym:  
"Wow, it's really cool that this hotel actually has a gym on the premises!" Monica said in awe.   
"Yeah, I know it is pretty cool," Erin replied as Monica landed another punch into his gloved hands. "Listen, can we stop for a minute? I want to talk to you," Erin asked, taking off his boxing gloves.   
"Uh, sure," Monica replied uneasily as they went outside to sit on the cement steps.   
"I'm sorry I blew up at you last week," Erin apologized.   
"No, it's okay," Monica started to say, but Erin cut her off.   
"No, no it's not. What I'm trying to say is, your past doesn't matter to me. It's what's going on in the here and now that matters. I like you Monica, would you like to go out with me?" he asked, his face searching hers.   
"Yes," Monica said with a small smile, "but first there are a few things you need to know." She preceded to tell him her past: riddled with foster homes, abuse, and kidnappings.   
When she was finished, Monica asked with a sly smile, "So you still want to go out with me?"  
"Yes," Erin replied without hesitation.  
Monica stared at him in shock. "Don't put yourself down so much Nikki," Erin said affectionately, using his nickname for her. "Actually, I would like to go out with you all the more, because you rose out of the ashes so to speak, and have started over again, trying to make a better life for yourself."  
"Thank you," Monica said, tears in her eyes, "for accepting me."  
"No problem," Erin said softly. Taking her chin in his hand, he lightly kissed her on the lips.  
  
Later that night, at the auditorium:   
Benoit was just buttoning up his shirt, when Melanie walked into the locker room.   
"Chris told me I would find you here," Melanie said with a smile.   
"You okay? Is something wrong?" Chris asked, worriedly.   
"No silly," Melanie sighed, "you've been asking me that for the past week now. Believe me, when this baby is ready to come out and see the world, I'll let you know," Melanie reiterated.   
"I kind of have a favor to ask you," she said swallowing nervously.  
"Sure, shoot," Chris replied, eyeing her carefully.   
"Does that offer for coffee still stand? Perhaps a movie afterward?"  
Chris realizing how courageous yet difficult this decision must have been for her, handled the situation with kid gloves.   
Chris's eyes sparkling, he said with a smile, "Sure, how does Spy Kids sound?"   
"Sounds good," Melanie said, looping her arm through his.   
Chris's heart filled up with joy and contentment as he watched her visibly relax.   
*Well, you did very well with your words tonight Chris Benoit, more than you know. Knowing just how and what to say,* Melanie thought gratefully as he pushed open the exit door leading out into the cool, moonlit sky.  
  
Afternoon, the next day,  
Andrew and Trish were enjoying a nice afternoon hiking trip in the middle of nowhere, when his cell phone rang. He sighed, normally, he didn't keep his cell on when he was on a wilderness trek, but he wanted Sam to be able to reach him, in case anything came up.   
"What news do you have?" Andrew asked, suddenly alert. Trish stopped and looked over at Andrew anxiously.   
"I have some interesting news. First I have some background information on Lenae. She was born in Australia eight years ago."  
"That's kind of odd though, her accent isn't that strong?" Andrew questioned.  
"It may be because her living here has toned it down some. I think if she were back in Australia her accent would stronger. Anyway, her parents were killed some years ago, in an accident, but I don't know the details. Apparently, the only living relatives she had, didn't want her, so they shipped her to America."   
*Poor little girl,* Andrew thought sadly.  
"Here's the clincher," Sam said, bringing Andrew out of his thoughts, "Ms. Moreland has a criminal history of abuse on her record."  
Andrew's fist clenched at his side, "How in the world could a woman like that be allowed to be in charge of an orphanage?!" Andrew asked, outraged.  
"Unfortunately, it happens all the time. Many things slip through the cracks in the system, sadly enough, children are not excluded." Andrew could hear the helplessness in his voice. "There's something else too, both myself and Danielle went undercover on two separate days, pretending we were interested in adopting children. Ms. Moreland brought all the children out so I could look at them. The amount of children that were there was one less than the amount that Danielle had given me the day before. The children are disappearing. We suspect that it's a possibility the children are being sold- illegally."  
"You mean on the black market?" Andrew asked incredulously.   
"Yes, of course this is just a theory. Danielle an I are trying to dig up solid evidence to support our suspicions, but so far, all has been quiet."  
"Thank you for the update Sam," Andrew said. Chewing on his bottom lip nervously, Andrew asked, "Lenae, she's okay right?"   
"Yes. It's funny, she stands out from the other children somehow, I can't put my finger on it, maybe it's her white- blond hair or something in her personality."  
Andrew agreed. "She's special," he said softly. Andrew clicked the phone shut.   
"What did Sam say?" Trish asked anxiously.   
Andrew frowned, "He's managed to dig up some interesting family history on Lenae, but he and Danielle suspect behind the scenes, that Ms. Moreland is running a money scheme, selling the kids on the black market."  
"What!" Trish exclaimed in shock. Andrew continued to tell her the details of his conversation with Sam.   
"He and Danielle have to be able to dig up solid evidence. She can't be allowed to keep harming children."   
Andrew nodded his head in agreement, "I know," he said somberly.   
"Hey, who's Danielle?" Trish asked.   
"It's a not so long, but very interesting story," Andrew said, with a grin.  
  
Five days later:  
Monica was nervously pacing back and forth in the dressing room as Erin and Steve watched her curiously.   
"Take a deep breath Monica, you'll do fine out there," Steve said calmly.   
"Steve's right, in a matter of minutes you'll become Gina, the former martial arts trainer turned pro," Erin said with a grin.   
"Yeah, right," Monica said sarcastically. "I don't know If can do this."  
Hearing the doubt in her voice, Erin shoved her, "Alright, pretend your steamed at me, now come on!" Narrowing her eyes she charged at him, grabbed his arm and flipped him over.   
"Ooh, I didn't think it was going to hurt that bad," Erin said with a moan. She grabbed his hand and pulled him up.   
"Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I'm going to be easy on you," Monica said with a smirk. "Come on Steve, let's go," Monica replied, grabbing his kendo sticks.   
"Remind me never to do that again," Erin said, as Steve could feel a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.   
"Sure whatever you say O'Grady," Steve replied, barely managing to stifle a laugh.   
Lillian Garcia had to practically yell into the microphone so she could be heard over the roar of the crowd. "Entering the ring are, Steve Blackman, Crash Holly, and introducing, Gina!" 'Gina' made her way into the ring first, took a bow, then promptly flipped herself over, landing solidly on her feet.   
Michael Cole, the announcer, said, "This is interesting, not only is she a former martial arts trainer, but a trained gymnast as well. You know Tazz, she could give Steve a run for his money. I would like to see her in a match against Lita."  
"A bra and panties match you mean," Tazz cracked with a smirk.   
"Hey," Michael Cole said, in an attempt to defend himself, when suddenly Rob Van Damn raced out to the ring, and slid underneath the ropes. He grabbed Monica's feet and yanked her out of the ring. Struggling she reached up and raked him in the face. Howling in pain, he released her. Just in time for Test and Trish to race out to the ring. Trish grabbed Monica and was just about to do the bulldog on her when Monica elbowed her in the stomach, reversed the hold and put her in a headlock. Then she tagged Steve in. Trish was no match for Steve and knew it. Quickly, she ran to Andrew and tagged him in. Andrew was not faring too well against Steve's martial arts moves until he kicked him in the face with his boot. That sent Steve staggering. Erin clapped Steve on the back, blind tagging him, while Rob Van Damn climbed back in the ring. Several minutes later, a worn out Erin managed to hook Van Damn's leg for the pin, when suddenly, Trish ducked under the ropes and grabbed Erin by the hair, pulling him up off Van Damn's body.   
"Hey!" Monica yelled. She rushed into the ring, grabbed Trish around the waist, and pulled herself backward. Doing a backbend, Monica forced Trish's head and shoulders against the mat. Trish kicked her legs wildly as the referee counted to three. Tiredly, Monica released Trish, slowly getting up. She heard, no felt a movement. Whipping around, Monica threw a sidekick Trish's way and intentionally missed, stopping her boot a mere inch from her face. The crowd gasped. Monica took the microphone from Lillian, "Try me again Trish and next time I'll strike my intended target," she warned threateningly. Slowly, Monica slid out of the ring followed by Erin and Steve.   
"You did awesome out there!" Erin whispered into her ear encouragingly.   
"Thanks," Monica said, her cheeks turning red.   
When everyone got backstage, Trish laughed, "That last part we did sure had the audience spellbound, I'm inclined to think they are afraid of you now Monica. Or should I say 'Gina'."   
Monica smiled wearily, "I'm just glad we practiced that move, because I didn't want to hit you. A move like that can break your jaw," she said frankly.   
"Oh," the smile fell off Trish's face. Just then Lillian came backstage, Trish, Andrew, and Rob Van Damn disappeared, and the cameras started to roll.   
"The audience was stunned by your performance out there Gina. What made you decide to quit teaching martial arts and become a professional wrestler?"  
"Simple, I decided it would be more fun to fight against the students than to teach them," Monica said, not mincing words.  
As soon as the cameras quit rolling and Lillian left, Monica sagged against the wall in relief.   
Erin strode over to her, "Did you get hurt in the match?" he asked, concerned. "No, no, it's kind of like an adrenaline rush during the match, and now it's quickly fading," Monica said, grinning wryly.   
"That happens every time for most of us," Steve said sympathetically.   
"Once you change, how about we all go to the ice cream parlor across the street. I hear they serve triple scoops of cookie dough ice cream," Erin said, smiling.   
  
9:30 p.m., in North Carolina:  
Sighing, Danielle released her chestnut hair from the confines of her ponytail and reached over to grab a bite of her chicken salad sandwich. All of a sudden, she noticed three guys in dark suits with matching dark overcoats casually saunter up to the orphanage door. Danielle sat up straighter in her seat, and grabbed the binoculars. Ms. Moreland opened the door and ushered the men inside. Putting down the binoculars Danielle called Sam, "Sam, I think something is going down," she said excitedly, explaining to him what had just happened.   
"Stay put and call the police, I'm on my way," he said urgently.  
"But Sam"...   
Sam cut her off, "No buts, stay put. You've done your part, I'll take care of the rest."   
"Ohh," Danielle said in frustration, pushing the end button on her cell.   
"Not this time buster," she said determinedly as she attached the miniature mike to the inside of her sweatshirt. Throwing open her car door, she quickly but quietly made her way to the house. Peeking inside the windows, Danielle heard nothing, then she heard voices from around back. A feeling deep down inside, told her she was swimming in dangerous waters, but if something happened to the children it would be her fault. She crouched down at the back corner on the side of the house. Danielle watched as Ms. Moreland and one of the guys in the dark suit dragged Lenae out the back door, one on either side of Lenae, grasping her arms tightly. Danielle realized with dread that Lenae was blindfolded and gagged. She pulled her phone out of her purse and dialed 911. Looking up, fear tugging at her heart, she noticed that one of the men was missing.   
"It seems we have a visitor," a voice said smoothly from above Danielle. *Uh oh,* were her last thoughts before the jerk grabbed Danielle roughly by the arm. As the thug pulled her up, her cell phone fell noiselessly to the ground. He shoved her ahead of him, until everyone could see her bathed in the pool of light from the back porch.   
"Why, Ms. Whitehall what are you doing here?" Ms. Moreland asked in confusion.   
"Who is she?" a cultured voice asked, stepping out of the shadows. Danielle narrowed her eyes at the tall, dark-haired man.   
"She was here just a few days ago, she wanted to adopt one of the children," Ms. Moreland replied innocently.   
"You simpleton," the leader said in disgust. "She's playing you for a sap! Check her wallet," he ordered, running a hand through his slicked-back hair.   
"A ha! She's a detective boss," he said handing the card over to him.   
"Ms. White eh, Danielle White."   
I hate to dispose of such a pretty face but"... he had no time to say anything else because Danielle drew her foot back and kicked him in the crotch.   
"Scum!" she spat out. Breathing heavily, he looked up at her, his eyes glittering. Then, without warning, he viciously slapped her across the face. The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth, but she refused to let him see any weakness in her. Just then Lenae stepped on the toes of Ms. Moreland and the punk holding her. Howling in pain they released her.   
"Get the little brat!" the leader hissed, his brown ponytail whipping around the side of his face.   
"Run Lenae, run!" Danielle cried.   
She took off around the side of the house only to run straight into- Sam. Quickly, he yanked off her blindfold and picked her up, "Relax, it's okay, I'm a friend," Sam said soothingly. He could feel her pounding heart slow down slightly.   
"Lights out," a gruff voice said. As murky darkness closed in, the last thing he heard was a scream. He woke up to feel someone wrapping a bandage around his head. He struggled to sit up.   
"Where are Danielle and Lenae?" Sam asked frantically.   
"Just relax sir, you'll see Danielle in a minute." As soon as the medic finished wrapping up his head, he shrugged out of the woman's grasp and caught sight of Danielle sitting on a log across from him. His head aching, he slowly made his way over to her.   
"Are you okay?" he asked. She nodded silently. Bathed in the light of the moon, the bruise on her cheek caught his eye. "They hurt you," he said barely controlling the anger in his voice, as he gently ran his thumb across her bruise.  
Almost as if she didn't hear him, she let out a strangled sob, "They hurt Lenae Sam, her ribs, face, arm. She's in so much pain, and it's all my fault! I should have listened to you, I'm sorry!"   
Sam's eyes widened as he pulled her to his chest, "Shh, it's not your fault sweetie." He stroked her hair silently. Gently, he pushed her back from him, "Which hospital did they take her to?" Minutes later, Sam sped out of the parking lot, churning up a cloud of dust. An hour later after talking to the police and the doctor, he called Andrew with the news.   
  
West Virginia:  
Erin and Monica said goodnight to Steve as he made his way to the indoor swimming pool for some late night exercise. As Monica and Erin drew closer to the hotel entrance, they noticed Andrew and Trish, along with Amy, Nora and the Hardys. Monica noticed the look of horror and sadness that swept across Andrew's face as he held the cell phone to his ear.   
"Andrew, what is it?" Trish asked, frightened for him, as she watched him grip the cell phone painfully, his knuckles turning white.   
"Alright, we'll be there as soon as we can," Andrew said quietly. Closing the phone, he felt numb with shock.   
"Drew, what happened?" Trish asked fearfully.   
"It's Lenae, she's been hurt. The doctors don't know if she'll pull through," he said flatly. Trish covered her hands to her mouth in a gasp. "Since this was our last night in West Virginia would you tell Vince we caught a red-eye flight to Raleigh?" Andrew requested as he looked around at the others. They all nodded silently, unsure of what to say.   
"Andrew, is there anything we can do?" Nora asked sincerely.  
"As a matter of fact there is. Sam asked if I knew anyone who was a good hacker. I told him I had a friend who knew it like the back of her hand," he said with a small smile.   
Nora blushed, "Oh, I wouldn't say I'm that good."   
"When the police arrested everyone, they found a financial record listed on Ms. Moreland's computer. They saved it to a floppy disk, and confiscated the information, but they have not been able to crack it yet. So, Sam was wondering if you could do it. He asked if he could download the financial info to you. I said yes and gave him your address. I hope you don't mind that I did that. Both the police and Sam think it's highly probable that since it's keeping track of finances, maybe it tells who the children are and where they have been sold to, not to mention giving the police all the information as to how much she has been making off the selling of children. If the police can find out where the children are now, they have a better chance of rescuing them from lives of slavery. Ms. Moreland has refused to reveal any information about the disk, but admitted that the thugs she has been selling the children to, the three men they caught, have in turn been selling the children to people only wanting to purchase 'slaves' not children," Andrew bit off.   
"Oh my gosh!" Nora clapped her hand to her mouth. "The, they were coming for Lenae tonight weren't they?" Nora asked in horror.   
Andrew nodded gravely, "If Sam and Danielle hadn't been there, the pieces of slime would have taken her. Well, now it's our turn," Andrew said, clenching his fists, his eyes glinting like small pieces of steel.   
"I'll do my best Andrew," Nora said solemnly.  
At twelve-thirty that night, Andrew and Trish left for Raleigh, North Carolina.   
  
Three hours later:  
A sleepy Jeff quietly knocked on Nora's hotel room door. He knocked again and the door creaked open slightly. His eyes widened as he saw Nora in her wine colored flannel pajamas, staring at the blue glare from her little lap top as she furiously typed away on the keyboard.   
"Nora, I can hear you from across the hall."  
"Oh, sorry," Nora said absent-mindedly, not turning her head to look at him.   
"Nora, babe, you need to get some rest. You can work on this covertly tomorrow morning, on the plane."  
"No, I can't. If I crack this code, maybe it will help save more children from situations like Lenae's or from a life of slavery. No, If I have to, I'll keep working on it until the sun comes up," she said fiercely. Sometimes Jeff was so laid back and quiet, that Nora half expected Jeff to just shrug his shoulders and let Nora do her own thing or else argue with her. He did neither.   
Instead, he plopped down on the bed beside her and asked, "Okay, what can I do to help?"   
Nora turned her head to look at him in surprise, "Coffee would be great thanks," she replied with a small smile. He watched dubiously as her fingers flew over the keyboard, her eyes fixated on the tiny screen. He didn't think the idea of coffee, her and the computer would be a good mix. As he got up, Nora turned around to look at him. *Golly, he came in here bare-chested. Of all things, I wasn't prepared for that,* she thought nervously. *It was either stare at the computer or stare at him. The last time he was bare chested, I only noticed it for a split second or two. We started to kiss, and then Jay and Adam came in, darn it,* she thought with a frown.   
Shaking her head, in an effort to clear it, she tried another tactic for passwords, movie star names. *Dean Cain,* Nora thought, *he's handsome.* Her eyelids once again getting heavy, she typed in his name and it seemed to her the computer was taking forever to load. Jeff came in from the tiny kitchen just in time to see her slump forward. Quickly, Jeff put the steaming mug of coffee down and grabbed her by the shoulders. He pulled her back up in time, just before she hit the keyboard.   
"Whoa, definitely bedtime for you, my favorite little hacker," he said affectionately, picking a half asleep Nora up in his arms.   
"No," she struggled in his arms, "have to keep trying," Nora replied sleepily.   
"Not tonight," he said. Bending down, he tenderly placed a feather-light kiss on her neck. Jeff put her down on the bed, and tucked the covers in snugly around her. He turned around and stared at the computer screen, "Nora," Jeff said, his mouth hanging open in shock, "you did it!"   
  
Meanwhile:  
Andrew sat in the plastic chair next to Lenae's hospital bed, silently staring at her unconscious, still form, holding her hand.   
"Little one, you have to make it through, we need you, I need you," he said, practically begging Lenae. "Oh, Lord please let her live. We can't lose her, I can't lose her. Please don't let her life end this way," he prayed.   
"Lenae, Trish and I want to adopt you. Trish wants to learn how to patch up your little Raggedy Ann dresses and I want to teach you how to fish. There is so much we can teach you, and I bet there is a whole lot you can teach us. Once Trish and I are married, we would love to have you be the first addition to our family, will you have us be an addition to yours?" he asked, the tears rolling down his cheeks now. He felt tiny fingers curl around his large hand, "Yes," Lenae whispered softly. 


	6. Garden For Two

Disclaimer: All of the people in this story are owned by Vince McMahon and the WWF, except for Melanie, Monica, Pastor Smith, and the young orphan, Sam, Danielle, and Ms. Moreland. Marissa is not mine, I've noticed her name in other stories, and have found out from a friend that she is indeed Shane's wife(in real life).  
  
The song, "Thought You'd Be Here By Now," is by Wes King and is not mine.  
  
The song, "Garden For Two," is by Code of Ethics and is not mine.  
  
If you would like to use my story, please ask me first.  
  
Please review, I love feedback! Constructive criticism is fine, but no flames please.  
  
This story is based on the Bible scripture: 1st Corinthians chapter 13, verses 4 through 7  
  
Chapter 6: Garden For Two  
  
Andrew's eyes snapped open and he jerked his head up, "Lenae?" A smile slowly spreading across his face, he whispered, "Thank you Lord," as he gently wrapped his arms around her petite frame.   
  
A week later:  
Everyone was sitting down on the earth and wood floor, in what would soon become Pastor Smith's main sanctuary.   
Marissa and Shane got up from their place on the floor, "Everyone, we have an announcement to make," Marissa said beaming proudly.   
*Marissa looks like she's about to burst,* Stephanie thought to herself with a smile.   
"We're going to have a baby, I'm pregnant!" Marissa said excitedly. Out of the corner of his eye, Paul carefully gauged Stephanie's reaction. The smile quickly left Stephanie's face as her mouth dropped open in surprise. Recovering quickly, she made her way to the front of the room.   
"Congratulations, you guys," Stephanie said, giving them both hugs.   
"Thanks lil sis," Shane said warmly as he gave her a squeeze. Though she was doing her best to hide it, he could see the pain evident in her eyes.   
"Steph, your time will come," he said reassuringly. Stephanie took a deep breath as Marissa and Shane stepped away from the podium and sat back down on the ground. It was time to get her mind back on the matter at hand.   
"I have some more news. Paul and I bought the orphanage! Now, Dad, I know what you're thinking, what about wrestling? We don't plan on retiring for a while, so until then, we know a couple that dearly love and have children of their own, who would love to run the orphanage. All Paul and I are finishing up now are the permits for expanding and fixing up the grounds and building. Hopefully, by next week, everyone can move back into the orphanage, and out of the Holiday Inn," Stephanie said with a smile. There will be one less child at the orphanage. The group let out a gasp, "Now, hang on a second, nothing bad has happened. Paul and I are adopting six-year old Adam!"   
Lenae, sitting in between Trish and Andrew, smiled brightly, "I can't believe it! Oh, I'm so glad for Adam though, he's been wanting a family for soo long."   
"And now, we have a special little girl that would like to talk to you all for a few minutes," Stephanie finished. Painfully, Lenae pulled herself up on her crutches. Each step practically took her breath away, what with two cracked ribs, a dislocated elbow, and a sprained ankle, not to mention lacerations and bruises on her face, it was quite difficult for her to walk. Their hearts going out to her, Trish and Andrew watched her walk towards Stephanie. They wanted to help her go up, but she had refused. Andrew knew almost from the moment he had laid eyes on her that she was as stubborn as a mule. *But she's also a fighter,* Andrew thought to himself with pride.  
"Hi sweetie," Stephanie said softly. "Everyone, I would like you to meet Lenae." Stephanie stepped away from the podium and into Paul's comforting embrace. He wrapped his arms around her as she laid her head on his shoulder. Her heart ached for this little girl. "Hello," Lenae said shyly. "First of all, I would like to thank Nora for cracking the code. Now, all of my friends, who are like brothers and sisters to me, will be living at the orphanage until they find loving families wanting to adopt them," Lenae said, a toothy smile lighting up her features. Nora smiled, tears coming to her eyes. Jeff reached over, and squeezed her hand. Everyone listened intently as Lenae told her story, from the day of Stephanie and Paul's wedding up to now.   
"I do want to thank a few more people, Sam and Danielle, for saving me." Both Trish and Andrew glanced over at the two detectives, and noticed that Sam had a protective arm around Danielle's waist. Trish and Andrew just looked at each other and grinned. *Love forged out of friendship, it doesn't get any better than that,* they thought solemnly.   
"And, finally, Trish and Andrew for loving me. Thanks for everything." When she reached Trish and Andrew, they pulled her in for a hug.   
"You did great!" Andrew whispered in her ear reassuringly. Vince made his way up to the podium and said, "I'm proud of all of you, what you've shown is an excellent display of teamwork and compassion." He reached over and gave Stephanie and Shane a hug. "Now, Trish, I know you and Andrew weren't planning on taking a honeymoon, but the day after your wedding, as kind of a bonus, I've arranged for all of us to go to Australia!"  
  
Later on that night:  
Unable to sleep, Stephanie crept downstairs and poured herself a glass of ice cold water. "I know we are adopting Adam, and I thank you for the chance, but oh, I want to have a child that Paul and I have helped to create. Most of the time my hope springs eternal, but sometimes I doubt. Will I ever be able to have children Lord? Help me to keep believing and trusting in you. Everything is in your time, so please help me to be patient. Amen." Feeling suddenly afraid and overwhelmed, she laid her head in her arms and cried.   
  
"We're praying through our tears that somehow we might hear your sweet cry.  
It's getting harder to be strong. Is there something we did wrong?  
I never knew that I could miss someone I've never met yet.   
We'll be waiting."  
  
  
Two months later:  
Trish and Andrew had their wedding in the same church as Stephanie and Paul. You might say it was an open air wedding, since the only structure left to build was the roof.   
Trish walked down the aisle, wearing a robin's egg blue floor length gown, and a pale, blue veil over her face. She turned to face Andrew, who stood across from her in a black tuxedo. Andrew's best man was Chris Jericho, who stood behind him in a black suit and tie. Trish's maid of honor was Nora, who stood behind her in a rich, wine colored off-the-shoulder dress. They had wanted a small wedding, nothing too fancy. They did have a flower girl though, Lenae. She was pleased as punch that Trish had asked her if she wanted to be in the wedding. She had never been in a wedding before.   
"This is so cool!" Lenae said, swinging her legs back and forth excitedly. Matt watched as Jeff stole a glance at the oval- shaped diamond ring encircled by pink gemstones, sparkling on Nora's hand. He smiled as he watched Jeff's glance move to Nora. Matt could see the love and adoration in Jeff's eyes.   
Smiling, Matt said, "I expect you'll be attending at least one more wedding soon enough."  
"Huh," Jeff replied, coming out of his almost trance- like state. "Oh, we haven't decided on a date yet though."  
"I didn't know you were going to marry Nora?" Lenae asked curiously, looking up at Jeff.   
"Oh, yes, I am definitely going to marry Nora," Jeff said without hesitation.   
A few minutes later Pastor Smith announced, "I now pronounce you man and wife." Andrew and Trish smiled as they were about to kiss.   
"Wait!" Chris cried. Trish, Andrew and Pastor Smith stared at him as if he were crazy. "Is the sun still shining? No dark clouds, twister or hurricane," Chris Jericho said comically.   
Everyone laughed. Shaking their heads, Andrew leaned in towards Trish for a kiss. As Trish and Andrew left the church, everyone showered them with rice.   
"We'll see you guys in the morning!" Andrew yelled, as he, Trish and Lenae made their way to Andrew's car.   
"I can't believe you did that!" Jessica said, slapping Chris in the arm lightly.   
"I do," Chris Benoit said from behind them, a sly grin on his face. Chris turned around only to realize Melanie was lagging behind.   
"You okay?" he asked worriedly.   
"I'm just tired, don't worry, I'm not having the baby or anything. I know, your afraid I'm going to have my baby here at the church just like Jessica did."  
"See, Chris is scared history is going to repeat itself too," Chris Jericho defended.   
  
Later that evening:  
"So, this is our house now?" Lenae asked in both disbelief and awe.   
"Mm hmm, I used to live in an apartment, until today, since Andrew recently bought this house. Now, it's yours and mine too. You also have your own room," Trish said with a smile, as she opened the bedroom door.   
"Wow, my own room?!" Lenae asked, not quite believing it.   
"Yes, and you can decorate it whatever way you would like. When you're ready, come on downstairs, Andrew and I have a surprise for you." Trish closed the door behind her as Lenae looked around the room. *It's so big!* she thought. She walked over to the window seat, and sat down. She gasped in surprise as she pushed open the windows. Lenae looked up at the crescent-shaped moon as it lit up the front yard. *This is way cooler than the push up window at the orphanage,* Lenae thought happily. Lenae turned to look at the bare, white walls of the room. *Hmm, I can decorate it whatever way I want huh,* she thought, a coy smile on her face. She closed her eyes, envisioning brightly painted walls or wallpaper with horses all over it. Lenae walked over to the closet, tugged on the knob and slid the doors open. *Oh my gosh! There's so much room in here, much bigger than the closet at the orphanage. I don't think I have enough clothes to fill this!* In awe, she slowly made her way down the steps. Seeing her eyes all aglow, Trish and Andrew turned to each other and smiled.   
"We got you a few things - for the trip," Trish said, handing the gift wrapped boxes to Lenae.   
"Wow!" Lenae exclaimed as she sat down on the floor and tore off the turquoise ribbon. The first two packages held coloring books, children's books and some travel games. She opened up the last package and let out a squeal, "Ooh, thank you," Lenae said enthusiastically, holding up the patched Raggedy Ann dress. She fingered it lovingly for a few seconds. "When I was at the orphanage we never had any money to buy anything for each other, so we would always make gifts for each other on our birthdays. Feeling a pang of homesickness for her dear friends, she brushed the stray tears off her cheeks and smiled gratefully at Trish for sewing her apron back on. Lenae was about to close the cardboard box, when she saw a beautiful royal blue, velvet dress folded neatly inside. "It's beautiful! And so soft," Lenae finished, hugging the soft dress to her.   
"We saw it a few days ago and thought it would look just lovely on you," Trish replied softly. "We hope it fits."   
Lenae held up the dress, studying it critically, "I think it will fit, but let me go try it on!" she said excitedly. When she came back out a minute later to model it for them, they were pleased to see it fit like a glove and looked perfect with her wavy white-blond hair.   
"It's so pretty, thank you!" Lenae let out in a rush. She wrapped her short arms around there waists and just as quickly she bashfully backed away.   
"May I go to bed now?" Lenae asked, suddenly tired.   
"Of course, if you want to," Trish said with a frown. As Trish and Andrew tucked her into bed, her last thought before she fell into a deep sleep, was, *This bed is so much nicer, bigger and softer than my old bed.   
Hours later, Trish lay against Andrew, content to feel the rise and fall of his chest.   
"Andrew, are you awake?" Trish asked softly.   
"Yeah hon, I'm awake," he said, gently stroking her hair.   
"I think Lenae seemed to distance herself from us tonight. Why?" "I'm not sure, maybe it's because so much has happened to her in the past few months, or perhaps it's Lenae's distant past. If that doesn't traumatize a child, I don't know what would. And maybe, just maybe she's not sure how she feels about us. I mean, we know she likes us, but love, well love has to bloom," Andrew finished thoughtfully, a smile on his face, as he looked down at Trish.   
"Do we really have to go to Australia?" Lenae asked the next morning as she sat down to breakfast.  
"Of course, don't you want to go?" Trish asked in surprise, glancing sideways at Andrew.   
She shrugged her shoulders, "Not really," Lenae responded truthfully.   
"It will be fun, besides you'll get to see us fight other wrestlers," Trish coaxed.  
"I guess," Lenae said half-heartedly. Frowning, Trish and Andrew wanted to ask her what was troubling her, but refrained.   
When Lenae dragged herself up the stairs to get dressed, Andrew said quietly, "She'll tell us when she's ready."  
  
Several days later:  
"So, let me get this straight, you guys beat each other up for a living?" Lenae asked. They had just gotten back to the hotel after their last house show of the trip. Trish looked at Andrew, "Well, yes and no. Sometimes the moves hurt, but we try to make them as safe and painless as possible. While other times, looks can be deceiving, sometimes when people think we are getting the snot beat out of us, we aren't. It's kind of like a choreographed dance," Trish finished.  
"In other words," Lenae questioned, a puzzled look on her face, "you plan in advance to beat the snot out of each other?"  
"Well no, not fully," Trish said hesitantly.   
"You know what, never mind, I'll understand it when I'm older. Besides, I wouldn't to do what you guys do, a girl could get hurt," she stated matter-of-factly. Andrew and Trish just laughed.   
Trish turned to Lenae, "Well, tomorrow is going to be great. We get to spend the next five days checking out the sights. Which reminds me, Jeff wanted to know if you would like to go with him and Melanie to the Australia Zoo tomorrow morning?"   
"Oh wow, would I ever, that's the one with Steve and Terri Erwin! He's so neat, he wrestles crocs, kind of like when you guys wrestle."   
"Wha, what?" Trish asked, startled, a blush tingeing her cheeks. "You know what I mean, like you and Andrew wrestling against Matt and Amy or you vs. Terri or something."  
"Oh, oh, yeah," Trish said nervously.   
Grinning, Andrew deadpanned, "Good thing she wasn't talking about us."   
The next morning, Lenae excitedly jumped into the yellow s.u.v. that Jeff was driving. Melanie looked at Lenae in her bright red jumper.   
"That's a pretty outfit," Melanie commented, smiling at Lenae.  
"Thanks, Andrew picked it out for me when we were at the mall last night," Lenae said as she wriggled around in the seat, trying to adjust the seat belt. "So, is Matt coming?" Lenae asked hopefully.   
Jeff glanced up into the rearview mirror looked at Lenae thoughtfully, "Nope, it's just the three of us."  
"Oh," Lenae said, her face falling slightly.   
"Nora's not big on crocs, let alone watching them get fed, but we'll be meeting up with her, Matt and Amy at the Queensland Art Gallery later this afternoon." Unable to resist, Jeff stole a glance at Lenae's face in the rearview mirror. She was beaming. *Man, she's got it bad. My brother, the heartthrob,* he thought to himself with a chuckle. When they reached the zoo, Lenae was practically bursting with excitement.   
"Maybe we'll get to see Steve, Terri or even Bindi Sue!" Lenae said, jumping up and down in her seat.   
"You're just like a miniature version of Jeff," Melanie said with a shake of her head. None-the-less, she couldn't resist a smile.   
"She's paying you a compliment, aren't you Mel?" Jeff asked, grinning cheekily.   
"Yeah, whatever," Melanie replied with a roll of her eyes, but Jeff noticed the smile still etched on her face. About an hour and a half into their excursion, Melanie plopped down onto a bench in the shade.   
"You okay Mel?" Jeff asked, eyeing her carefully.  
"I'm fine, but you'd better hurry up if you don't want to miss the Croc feeding. It starts in five minutes," she informed them, tapping her watch crystal. Jeff and Lenae tore off around the bend, then Jeff stopped and turned around.   
"You sure you'll be okay?" Jeff double checked, running back to her.   
"Positive, now go," she shooed. Watching Jeff take off after Lenae, Melanie muttered to herself, "I wish I could believe my own answer," as a sharp pain coursed through her lower abdomen. As they walked into the gift shop, a very animated Lenae told Melanie all about when the guy fed the Crocodiles.   
"You should have seen them Melanie, the crododiles just went crazy. I thought even the feeder person looked scared."  
"Even I'm not that crazy," Jeff said with laugh. Melanie nodded, her face pale. For the past fifteen minutes she had been trying to stave off the pain and as they made their way up to the counter all efforts now failed. Just as Jeff finished paying for the souvenirs, Melanie let out a low moan.   
"The baby's coming," Melanie groaned.   
"Where's the nearest hospital?" Jeff asked urgently.   
"Wesley Hospital, in Brisbane," the young woman at the counter informed him. Quickly, he wrote down the directions she gave him.   
"Thanks," he said, as he hustled Melanie and Lenae out the door. Jeff helped Melanie into the car while Lenae jumped into the back seat. Jeff gunned the engine and tore out of the parking lot.   
Jeff tossed the cell phone to Lenae, "Here, call Chris."  
"Which one?" As much discomfort as Melanie was in, she couldn't help but chuckle at Lenae's innocent question.   
"Benoit, the one with the missing tooth."  
"Ohh, him."   
"Tell him to meet us at the hospital, and to step on it." Via Jeff's coaching, Lenae also called the hospital and told them the baby was on the way. "Give them Melanie's full name, where we're at, and how Mel is doing at the moment."  
"At the moment, my water just broke," Melanie said through clenched teeth.   
"What! This is a rental car!" Jeff exclaimed. Lenae relayed the message to the receptionist on the phone.   
"Okay, the lady said everything will be ready for Melanie when she gets there."  
"Good. You told her that Melanie's water broke, didn't you?"   
"I didn't need to, the woman on the phone heard you yell and knew something big happened. She told us to hang tight," Lenae finished.  
"Sounds just like Matt," Jeff muttered.   
"You don't think Melanie's going to have the baby here do you?" Lenae asked nervously.   
"I certainly hope not," Jeff exclaimed, glancing up in the rearview mirror at Lenae.   
"Just in case you have the baby before we reach the hospital, you're are only having one right, not four or five?" Jeff asked Melanie anxiously.  
She rolled her eyes, "Jeff, I'm large, but I'm not as big as a house. No, I'm only having one." When Jeff, Melanie and Lenae reached the hospital, they hadn't even made it through the double doors, when two assistants came out to greet them. Gently, yet quickly, they eased Melanie into the wheelchair. Jeff rushed to the front desk and filled out the paper work for Melanie. With a great sigh of relief, Jeff collapsed into a chair.   
The receptionist behind the desk smiled, "You act as if you're the one having the baby." Jeff just stared at her.   
"I'm just glad she didn't have the baby in the car," Jeff replied bluntly. The receptionist in turn stared back at him, surprised by his response. He turned on his cell phone and dialed the hotel number.   
"Hey Jeff, what's up?" Matt asked lazily. Just then Chris Benoit rushed through the entrance way.   
"Has she had the baby yet? Is she okay?" Chris asked frantically.   
"Here, tell Matt what happened," Jeff commanded, once again tossing the phone to Lenae.   
"Okay," she said happily. Jeff explained what was going on with Melanie, while Lenae gave the lowdown to Matt. Both Chris and Jeff walked over to the receptionist's desk.   
"Can we see her?" they asked simultaneously.   
"Wait a minute, I thought you were her husband," she said, turning to Jeff.   
"Heck no! I'm just a friend."  
"So, am I," Chris responded.   
"She's a widow," Matt announced with a frown as he strode through the doors, followed by Amy, Nora, Jessica, Chris, Erin, Monica, Stephanie, Paul, Trish and Andrew.   
"Well, you can't all see her at once," the receptionist stated in astonishment.   
Matt, sensing the frustration in Jeff, put a calming hand on his shoulder, "We know that, but is it possible for either Jeff or Chris to be with her?" The receptionist nodded yes.   
"Chris, you go ahead," Jeff urged, knowing the two had a deepening friendship.   
"Thanks for understanding Jeff," Chris said thankfully. The gang watched as Chris hurriedly made his way down the hall.   
Jeff leaned over to Matt, "Thanks man, I was loosing my cool there, I mean what does she think we are, idiots!" he whispered, agitated.   
"Oh, and I think someone has a crush on you," Jeff said pointing to Lenae. Matt frowned, not quite sure how to respond.   
"I guess it will be alright, since it's just a crush. At some point she'll lose interest in me and like someone her own age," Matt said uncertainly. "I just don't want her to get hurt. She knows I'm involved with Amy right?" Matt questioned.   
"I'm not sure," Jeff replied honestly, a puzzled look on his face.   
"I'd better go talk to her." Matt made his way towards her, but she was talking animatedly with Trish and Andrew, showing them what she had bought at the Crocodile Hunter gift shop. He sighed, yet another conversation that would have to wait.   
Meanwhile, Nora looped her arm through Amy's, and steered her towards the cafeteria. Nora leaned over her Fettuccine Alfredo and Peanut Butter Pie with a smile and asked, "So how are things going with you and Matt?"  
"Really, really well. I didn't think we could get much closer, since we've known each other for years, but we have. It's like we're learning little things about each other that we didn't even notice before, it's amazing." Amy could feel her whole face light up as she talked about their relationship.   
Nora smiled knowingly, "I kind of understand what you mean. Jeff didn't know that I was a hacker, until just recently. Many people don't know, and I don't worry about it. I've never made a big deal out of it. And, pretty soon, he's going to find out the adverse effect too much sugar has on me," Nora said with a giggle. "I get kind of loopy. I know what you mean though, it's the little things."  
After three hours of pacing and talking in the waiting room, Paul and Stephanie got up off the hard, plastic chairs.   
"We hate to leave guys, but Steph is getting kind of tired. We'll call you as soon as we get to the hotel. Keep us posted though, okay?"  
Jeff nodded, "Sure, no problem, we understand."   
Andrew looked at his watch, "We hate to leave also, but we have tickets to the Sydney Opera House."  
"Hey, Andrew I didn't know you liked opera," Chris teased.  
Andrew wrinkled his nose, "It's not an opera that I'm going to see, it's a classical music concert. Besides, I've never been to one, and I thought it might be different."  
"Oh, it'll be different all right, try boorring."  
"Let up Chris, it was my idea and he agreed to it. Andrew's willing to give it a chance, which I think is very sweet of him," Trish said, reaching up on tip-toe to kiss his cheek. Andrew blushed, embarrassed.   
"Trish has him wrapped around his little finger," Chris commented as he watched the three of them leave.   
"She does not, he is just sweet enough to try something new, unlike a certain person I know," Jessica quipped, looking up at Chris with a smile.   
"Hey, that's not tru.., oh you were just kidding, okay. He, he," he responded, grinning weakly.   
"Well, I'm not kidding about my next statement: I'm pregnant."  
"What! We just had kids two and a half months ago," Chris exclaimed.   
"We?" she accused, "If I recall correctly, I was the one screaming in the basement."  
"Yeah, and I was the other one screaming when I lost all feeling in my hand," Chris joked.   
"Wow, you guys didn't waste any time," Jeff said, his eyes wide.   
"Well, what did you expect us to do with one - two weeks free time on our hands," Chris stated bluntly.  
"Enough, I don't want to hear anymore," Jeff said grimacing, putting his hands over his ears.  
Chris and Jessica laughed.   
"Actually, I like the idea of more children," Chris said, looking down lovingly at Jess, "more carbon copies of you."  
She wrapped her arms around Chris's waist, "I'm glad, I wasn't sure how your reaction would be. Besides, it gives us a shot at having more carbon copies of you too," she said softly.   
"It's funny how love changes us," Matt said thoughtfully.   
  
Meanwhile:  
As soon as Stephanie and Paul reached their hotel room, Paul called the hospital to see how Melanie was doing. Stephanie raced into the bathroom and looked at the stick on the bathroom sink. Her eyes widened, it couldn't be, could it? She had been feeling tired lately and was a week and a half overdue, so she went to the drug store and got a kit.   
"Honey, what are you doing?" Paul said, as he laid back on the bed. Stephanie walked out of the bathroom holding up a stick. Instantly alert, Paul sat straight up. "Honey, your not… You don't mean that we're…" Stephanie nodded, her eyes sparkling. Paul wrapped his arms around her waist and twirled Stephanie around. The white stick with the hint of pink on it dropped noiselessly to the floor.  
  
Two hours later, at the hospital:  
Chris Benoit sat beside Melanie as the Doctor urged her to push. "It hurts too much, I don't want to push," she panted.   
"Darlin, you want your baby to come out don't ya? Besides the more you push, the faster the little tike is going to pop out," Doctor Schneider said amicably.   
"You can do it Mellie," Chris said encouragingly. He took her hand and squeezed it gently.   
"Okay, just a little more," Melanie conceded. She pushed as hard as she could, and just as she let out a cry, the baby's cry filled the air. Quickly Doctor Schneider and his nurse, Catherine, cleaned up the baby and handed the newborn to Melanie.   
"Congratulations, you have a beautiful little boy," Catherine cooed.  
"With an excellent set of lungs," Doctor Schneider said with a boyish grin, a blond lock of hair falling over his eyes. Quietly, the doctor and nurse left the room.   
"I wonder what our little young'un will look like Cathy," Doctor Schneider said, smiling softly as he patted Catherine's stomach.   
"If he looks anything like you John, he's going to be a heartbreaker," she said laughing softly as they made their way down the hall.  
"He's beautiful Melanie," Chris said softly, as he gingerly rubbed the baby's downy hair. Have you decided on a name yet?"  
"Yes, Gregory Christopher Iverson."   
"Wow! Melanie you, did you…" he trailed off, unable to voice his thoughts into words. She nodded, smiling.   
Noticing, the tears in his eyes, she mimicked the Australian commercial for Fosters Beer: "Cry baby." Overcome with emotion, he hesitantly leaned in towards Melanie and kissed her gently on the forehead.   
Nurse Catherine once again entered the room. "I have to borrow your sweetie for just a minute sugar." Benoit and Melanie looked at each other uncomfortably. "No honey, the baby, not your hubby," she reiterated. As Catherine took the baby, she thought to herself, *What odd folk,* wondering why they looked so shocked.   
"I'm so tired," Melanie stated, doing her best to stifle a yawn. She felt her body relax and her eyes start to close. "Imagine us - married," she chuckled nervously.   
"You never know," Chris said softly. Quietly, he stole out of the room. When Chris reached the lobby, everyone bombarded him with questions. Chuckling, he raised his hands, "Okay, okay, Melanie and Gregory Christopher are doing fine. She's sleeping though, so the doctor suggested it might be a good idea to visit her tomorrow morning."  
"So," Chris J. said as they left the hospital, "she decided to name the baby after you," he said softly.   
"I know, I can't believe it. I'm still kind of in shock over the whole thing. I love her Chris."  
"I know, and I think she's falling in love with you too, but you have to give her time," Chris said quietly.   
"I plan on giving her all the time in the world."  
  
Meanwhile, at the Opera House:  
As the performance ended, Andrew clapped enthusiastically. Watching him, Trish could have sworn that he was one of the most enthusiastic concert goers there.   
"That was great!" he whispered in her ear, "I'm glad you persuaded me to come."   
Suddenly, a young child screamed, "There's a bomb in the building!" The audience's enthusiasm automatically changed to one of terror. Everyone screamed, pushing and shoving, in a mad attempt to flee the building. Struggling to stay together, Andrew had no choice but to angrily elbow his way through the crowd, keeping one arm around Trish, and the other around Lenae. In the midst of the chaos, a young mother was desperately searching for the boy who had screamed. Realizing this, he ushered Trish and Lenae out into the entrance hall.   
"You can't stay!" Trish whispered frantically into his ear, all the while clutching Andrew's arm.   
"I'll be fine, trust me. Just please listen to me and take Lenae to the parking lot, okay?"   
"Alright," Trish said reluctantly. Taking Lenae by the arm, she threaded her way through the crowd. Lenae twisted around in Trish's grip, "Why isn't Dadd… I mean Andrew coming?" she asked frantically.   
"He'll meet us here, he's going to be okay," Trish assured her, hoping Lenae didn't hear the worry in her voice.  
"Here, let me help you find your boy Ma'am," Andrew said as he made his way back to her. As the throng dissipated, a red-headed little boy bent over, almost double, clutching his knees, and howling with laughter, came into view.   
"Aw, that was so funny!" the young child exclaimed.   
"I beg your pardon," Andrew fairly shouted at the boy. The boy looked up, a flash of fear flitting across his face. When his mother came rushing up to him though, his fear became replaced with arrogance.   
"What would your father say if he were here. Oh, you know you've been told a thousand times not to cry wolf. Just wait Jamie Jr., wait until your father comes back from his long trip," she scolded him something fierce as they walked away. Andrew tried to cool his seething anger at the twosome. *An out-of-control kid and the mother who couldn't keep him contained. Sounds like the perfect title for the next episode of Jerry Springer,* he thought sourly. *You wait kid, your shenanigans will come back to haunt ya,* Andrew thought as he quickly made his way to Trish and Lenae, in the lower level parking garage.   
  
Meanwhile, on to a much nicer situation:   
Amy and Matt walked hand-n-hand along the water's edge. Breaking the silence, Amy commented, "It's so beautiful out here! Now-a-days, for us to see a sunset is hard to come by." Lost in thought, Matt nodded.   
"Matt, is something wrong?" Amy asked in concern.   
"No, actually, I was just thinking - about you," Matt finished. Bringing his head up, he looked deep into her eyes. Her heart skipped a beat. "When I said that marriage had never crossed my mind, I wasn't being truthful to you," he said apologetically. "I've been thinking about it ever since Stephanie and Paul's wedding day." Matt tugged on her hand, pulling her up the steep, sandy bank. "I think, as long as we've known each other, somehow, in the past few months we've managed to grow even closer…"  
"The little things," she finished.  
"Exactly," Matt replied, beaming at her. Gently cupping her chin in his hand, Matt leaned in towards Amy, brushing a light kiss against her lips. *It's now or never. Will she accept?* Nervously, he stuck his hand in his pocket, making sure the blue, velvet box was still there. He knelt down on one knee, "Amy, I've been dreaming of this moment for months," he stopped, his knee slowly starting to sink into the sand. He started to topple over.   
"What are you doing?" she asked, laughing, helping him up. "Why don't you just stand up," she suggested.  
He shook his head stubbornly, "No, I want to do this the old-fashioned way." Readjusting his position, he lifted his head to watch her. The breeze had picked up, blowing Amy's hair all around her smiling face.   
"You are beautiful. Amy I love you and want to be with you - as long as I have breath. Will you marry me?"  
  
verse:  
"I've heard monogamy is rusting in the yard.  
But I believe the seed not married to the soil grows apart.  
I want to build a foundation with you.  
Chorus:  
Forever before Heaven, we'll plant a garden here for two.  
Forever before Heaven, I'll build a life in Eden with you."  
THE END-FOR NOW J  



End file.
